Learn Java(TM) on the Macintosh

This book was included in a software package for Metrowerks Discover Programming. I was pretty much fluent in C when starting this book, and because of that I skipped the first few chapters and one of the chapters later on, and I learned Java extremely well in just a week. This book gets pretty far into the Java programming language with multithreading, and by chapter 11 you learn how to draw graphics on the actual applet screen. I was very pleased on how great this book was.

I have just started a programming class in Java at Harvard and am completely new to this field. I have the class book Java How To Program, which I found rather daunting. I bought Visual Cafe and Code Warrior software and became even more baffled. This book has enabled me to gain confidence and have a foundational understanding of what I am doing. Great beginner book.

I have 3 "Java for beginners" books sitting in my shelf, but this is the one that really got me started. Easy to follow, yet not trivial or boring. Great intro on OO programming. For the beginner, I think this is the book to go with - not only on the Mac!

I've always been interested in Java and C programming, and had purchased several "beginners" books. This is one of the finest I've read. The book takes you by the hand and slowly introduces you to essential concepts as you go along, rather than throw the "vital" stuff and theory at you all at once (another beginner book called "Learn Java in 21 Days" does this, and was a very confusing book for a newbie like me - however, I am confident to return to "21 Days" now that I've read this book). The book is not all-encompassing, nor should it be. Rather, it is a perfect springboard to the rest of the Java "how-to" bookshelf. You do need your own compiler to create your own applets, but no book is going to give away fully functioning software. I recommend Metrowerks' "Discover Programming for the Macintosh" - it includes Java, C, C++ and Pascal compilers, all for around 80 bucks.

The book is fantastic! As a newcomer to programming, I've been looking for a book that takes the reader from square one and lays down the conceptual foundation before jumping into the particulars of the language. I've bought so many so-called "beginner" books written by programmers that have no concept of what it's like to be brand new to programming, but this book is perfect for someone like me, coming from a humanities background and suddenly in charge of a website. I think there will be a growing market for such books, and Boone's approach is perfectly suited to it