Java for Students

For several years I have been struggling with understanding programming. Networking training often references C or C++ or Visual Basic ideas to illustrate concepts as if everyone understands their basics. I have beat my head against a wall trying to follow along with texts on scripting and Active Server Pages because these books often assume familiarity with fundamental programming concepts. I even read SAMS Teach Yourself Beginning Programming in 24 Hours without learning enough to put everything together. And then I found Java for Students by Douglas Bell and Mike Parr. Java for Students is written for people with absolutely no prior knowledge of programming. Books often say things like this and then after the first chapter or two take off into the skies where it is impossible for many to follow. This book taught me to fly! Like many introductory books you write your first Java program inside the first 20 pages. And then the authors continue to provide example after example and more than 100 exercises that build progressively on the information presented until you really get the hang of programming in Java and understanding programming concepts - variables, calculations, methods, parameters, events, decisions, repetition, objects, classes, inheritance, arrays, string manipulation, exception handling, packages, abstract classes, interfaces, threads... My proudest moment was when I scanned through the Glossary at the very end of the book and really understood all the terms included. If you want to understand programming in general and Java specifically, this is a great place to start.These authors do an excellent job of presenting essential information in a simple fashion and then adding more details and complexity as you progress through the book. They presented code that illustrated concepts and syntax in early chapters that they added to in subsequent chapters to demonstrate additional features or problem solving methods. The result was an opportunity to develop confidence and familiarity without being overwhelmed with all the details at once. At the end of each chapter Bell and Parr included a Grammar Spot, Programming Pitfalls, New Language Elements, and a Summary. They did a good job of reinforcing important points.The authors teach in the UK and the book has a funny mixture of British and US influences. I was a little nervous when an exercise invited creating a program to calculate making change for a soft drink machine in British money but then they offered an overview of UK coins and a suggestion to work in the common denominator, pence. I did not find any difficulties following the discussions as an American.I noticed more editing problems in the last third of the book - missing words, mislabeled material. This was a little challenging but if you were following along closely you could understand what was meant. It was more disconcerting than anything else.The book refers to a web

I have more than eighty technical books in my home library, but my favorite is Java for Students. Aimed at beginning programmers, Java for students is a solid book that WILL teach you java programming. It sticks to the basics and is filled with very good, practical examples. By far, Java for Students is the best "learn to program" book that I have ever read.

I've been trying to teach myself programing for the last year and a half. I've tried several languages and a number of those "teach yourself in x hours/days" books. I've finished many of those books and re-read several of them as well. However, sit me down and solve a problem? --just couldn't do it. This book helped for a number of reasons:1. It pretty much focuses on Applets. This helps by not bogging you down with two many libraries (which you encounter when you switch from applets to applications). You're able to deal with a few things alot and get really familiar with them.2. It has a lot of examples at the end of each chapter to help you review and incorporate what you've learned. (Examples are related to skills you've just learned and do not incorporate new ones out of the blue).3. It seemed the authors had considerable teaching experience. They really hammered on points that other authors just "blow" over...like "What is a constructor?", "How do you use the "this" keyword?"..4. It stays concise within a smaller segment of Java. You deal primarily with the AWT, as opposed to Swing.5. It uses examples that are easy to conceptualize. You don't have to mess with binary, hexadecimal, and octal numbers and use mathmatical formulas all the time--like you do in Beginning Java.I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to build foundational skills and who needs to understand why they did something as much as how they did it.

I am not a programmer, but I work in the tech industry. I wanted to move into web development, so I had to learn Java. Unfortunately, I bought two other books before this one. This is very clear, very concise, and doesn't assume that you're already a C programmer! What's that about? This book is laid out and organized very well, and is very easy to read. Concepts are expanded on through the use of analogies, which makes them much easier to recall from memory. Excellent for people like me who didn't know what a compiler was and never programmed in ANY language. I love this book - thanks!!!

This book is perfect for my students. It presents the concepts in small simple steps. It introduces graphics early on so that the students can appreciate their work. Events are covered early on too so that they can create interactive software. (This first edition covers Java 1.0 event model. The second edition -- sold in Europe is even better -- it covers the Java 1.1 & 1.2). Objects and inheritance are covered in a timely manner. My students find this book clear and straight forward. By the end of the book all major features are covered -- including threads and exceptions. This book is not a complete reference book and is better for it. Once my students understand what's going on I send them to reference books to find out all the intimate details. This book is just right for beginning high school students with no programming experience. Job well done. PS -- if anyone is interested I have lecture notes and theory quizzes that I could share with others.