Learn to Program with Java

Let me begin by saying that I'm the author, so let's get that out of the way. I'm posting here to point out that the book has a tremendous amount of support materials that have never been advertised. Each of my books has a support page containing a current list of errata, downloadable files (completed exercises from the book), extra links to extra materials I have written and my email address in the event you have problems. I also run a series of online classes so that if you would like to learn with me in a more structured setting, you can do that also. You can access those materials via this linkhttp://www.johnsmiley.com/books.htmI should also say that this book isn't for everyone---and you can read through some of the other reviews posted here to see why and why not.I wrote this book for beginner level programmers, and the book is written in a unique style. You (and I) can thank the now defunct Wrox Publishing house for the style of the book that some people absolutely love and others (primarily hotshot programmers with lots of experience) hate. The book is written as if you are participating in an actual classroom---many people, particularly those learning on their own or in an Independent study setting find comforting. My thanks to the many people who have written to me to tell me how much they've enjoyed my books and how they have helped them achieve their goals of learning to program. John Smiley

Read the entire book in five days. I am an experienced programmer and have been using other books to complete my Java skills (taking the certification exam shortly). And all I can really tell you is that Professor Smiley should continue to publishing because he really knows how to teach. Many authors, for example Ivor Horton, know the language they are trying to teach but loose something in the attempt. John Smiley, on the other hand, knows how to teach the topic so that anyone with any motivation can learn the subject matter. You will not find a better text to teach you programming and the Java language. I personally have read Beginning Java 2 by Horton and the Core Java and neither book makes the subject matter as accessible as Learn to Program with Java. I hope the Professor Smily considers writing an advanced Text for Java.Of course somewhere along the line someone will tell you that the book is not in depth enough. Although, they are correct in saying that it is not the definitive guide to Java programming it's not meant to be. You will learn how to program using this book and you will learn enough of the core language that will lead you to more advanced topics. Lets just hope that John Smiley considers writing an advanced book.

I'll be the first to tell you that buying this book was a hard choice for me---I'm a skeptic, and whenever I see high praise for a book (especially when the author is a teacher) I figure it's just a bunch of his students posting reviews hoping to get an 'A' in his course. Also, unlike the other reviewers, I wasn't turned on by the thought of reading about a college programming class. If I wanted to sit through a college classroom with a bunch of people asking questions, I'd probably take a college course---but I hate the idea, and I really thought I'd hate this book. I was wrong.I've been trying to learn Java on my own for the last two years, and I've bought and returned probably about a dozen. What made me buy the book is the fact that the reviewers said the book contained a working project developed during the course of the book.That's what I needed desperately. Most books on programming have lots of examples--but they don't lead to anything. This book takes a single idea---a program to calculate student grades--and works with it until you have a completed Java program. By the end of the book, I actually knew how to write my own Java program. I should say that despite what I thought, the cutesy classroom dialog didn't bother me all that much---it's an interesting way to write a book. The author also has some additional material on Java posted on his website (including a chapter on Applet creation which interestingly isn't written using the cutesy classroom style--I'm not sure which one I like better).As I say, I'm a skeptic at heart, and I'm giving this book five stars. Why? It's the first Java book I haven't returned. I'll probably keep it--or give it to one of my friends who needs to learn Java.

I'm not a professional programmer---just someone who enjoys writing programs as a hobby. I signed up for John Smiley's Java Study Group, which is a Blackboard.com based learning environment. The Study Group used this book as the course textbook, and I found it to be a wonderful vehicle to learn Java---which I think is a more difficult language to learn than Visual Basic. First off, I should tell you that I'm a big fan of John Smiley and his books. I have all four of his Visual Basic programming books, and I used them to learn how to write my first computer program. I've also participated in many of his on-line courses, and subscribe to his Visual Basic mailing list. When John Smiley writes a book, he builds a community around it, with a support structure consisting of a web page and mailing list. If you need help, you can also email him--and he'll actually write back to you, although not necessarily the same day or with a direct answer (he is a teacher after all!)Here's my evaluation of Learn to Program with Java:WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE BOOK:1. It's written so that anyone can understand it, in other words, you don't have to be a nerd to understand it. My husband is a computer programmer, and if I want to be spoken to in 'geek-speak', I would have let him teach me Java. I needed a book that patiently explained, in detail, the fundamentals of Java programming, not only the how-to-do but the 'why's' behind the language. This book did exactly that. 2. In each chapter he presents a demonstration program to illustrate the points he is trying to make. 3. Each chapter has a series of exercises for the reader to complete, with detailed instructions to guide you in completing it. By my count, there are about 100 of these exercises which contribute greatly to your learning experience.4. During the course of the book, a real-world working Java program is developed. Each chapter has a series of exercises in which the reader is given instructions to complete the project, so that by the end of the book, you'll have developed your very own Java program. Many books concentrate on developing lots of small programs---with the result being that at the end of the book all you really know how to do is write small programs. At the end of this book, you'll feel capable of tackling your own real-world program.5. There are lots of screen shots (hundreds) to help make learning Java easier.6. I found the book very well organized and laid out. it starts out dealing with fundamental programming concepts like variables, If statements, and loops, and then progresses to the more difficult topics of Objects, the essence of Java programming. By the way, his coverage and explanation of Objects is the best I've ever seen--and my husband the Java programmer agrees :)7. The book is written in the context of an actual classroom using fictional students. I feel this approach is one the books greatest assets, although I recognize that some readers may not feel the same way (see below und

Are you someone who wants to learn a programming language, Java in this case, but find your eyes crossing when you read books on the subject? If so, then stop here, because you have found something special. The author, Professor John Smiley is no ivory tower teacher or computer nerd... He is a professional educator who understands how difficult learning computer languages can be and is expert at making that knowledge accessible to the beginner. In addition, I have emailed questions to the author, who answered me promptly and meaningfully each time. Professor Smiley truly offers the complete package.The book reads like a narrative of the author's experience in teaching a class on Java at Penn State University. The text follows the development of a small project (a student grades calculator) through the various stages of development -- each stage introducing new concepts and features.By writing about a simulated classroom, the author answers your questions and gets you over the stumbling blocks, even as you form those questions and encounter those blocks. My experiences with other similar books is that these normal conceptual blocks can really slow my learning experience and turn me off from proceeding. This never happened with this book.The examples are clear, illustrative, and easy to follow. The material assumes negligible programming experience in any language, and teaches good style and programming technique which are applicable in any language. The topics addressed are enough to get anyone started in Java, including: * how to write an compile Java source, * operators, * program flow, * classes (functions, methods, and properties, constructors, etc), * I/O, * good programming technique (including a very useful discussion of the System Development Lifecycle), * GUI, and more.By the time I was finished with the text, I had, as advertised by the title, learned to program in Java, and was well prepared to take the next step in my education in this langauge. Who should read this book? It's not for not advanced students or current Java programmers, but it is a great way to start your education on a difficult and useful subject. However, I hope Professor Smiley (and his publisher) will consider writing intermediate and advanced version of this book as well.I also heartily recommend the author's books on learning to program with Visual Basic -- a subject for which he is already acclaimed.