Learning Java

I have experience in C but not C++. Prior to this I tried to read Eckel's thinking in java which I found to be overly pedantic and at times, irritating (with many exercises trying to display arcane syntactic or semantic points). In comparison this book is very refreshing and I feel I am learning new stuff really easily.This book is dense but motivates using simple code. Explanations may not be complete (esp in Chap 2) but really this is a good compromise.This is definitely for someone with a background in programming (preferably in C or C++). Ideally one should have a programmers editor on and keep trying the code snippets as one reads (which is why the online version at safari.orielly.com is handy). So, in a sense, this book is not for the uninititated. But for those who have some exposure this is well worth the money and effort.The author also has a useful open source tool (BeanShell) which suggests some depth.Some Tips for readers new to java on windows:1. Download and install jdk 1.4.x2. Get a simple programmers editor (editplus.com for example)3. Get Jikes compiler as a replacement for javac (copy it to the jdk bin directory) as its really fast and use it to compile within the editor.4. Make sure your classpath and path variables are set properly. The former could include the jdk jre/lib/rt.jar and . the current directory; the latter could include the jdk bin dir. in XP these can be set using the controlpanel advanced setting for environment variablesOnce you can experiment with the code as you read, it becomes more interesting.I would say the book deserves at least 4 stars; I am giving it a 5 to offset some really low ratings :-)

This book addresses a pragmatic issue. The fact is that no one single textbook or reference can hope to cover all of the details and issues surrounding the enormous Java language. Bookstore shelves are replete with books, including many excellent ones, covering transitions from C/C++ to Java, or developing a major comprehensive project, or focusing upon a specific facet of the language, such as threading, or networking. The Internet can play a major role in this as well. The Sun Java and IBM Developer Domain sites, for example, contain a wealth of information and tutorials. Even personal (home) websites can be found, describing the syntax and basics of Java, so popular a language it is.A different approach is taken here. An intrepid beginner needs more than syntax, and already contains so much bubbling enthusiasm that personal projects will spring from imagination on their own. Two major questions are addressed in detail (albeit obliquely) in this book:1. Why was the Java language created, when earlier languages purportedly address the same issues?2. How have the designers formed the infrastructure of that particular aspect of Java, and how does an individual developer implement and expand upon it (at the lowest levels)?This is the function which this book serves, in an ocean of already-existing manuals, tutorials, and references.With this function now clearly defined, the form follows systematically. Some full program examples are provided, when necessary. However, frequently only a program fragment is all that is required, and in fact is ideal, because it removes extraneous distracting details from the flow of the chapter section. After all, even in the excellent O'Reilly "Java Examples In A Nutshell" book, do you not spend much of the time before and after writing the program, hunting around for 'the main key' that makes the program really work?Excellent graphs and class diagrams are provided, reminiscient of O'Reilly's "Java Foundation Classes In A Nutshell", along with developmental history and clear exposition on why that structuring was chosen above all others. Recreate the packages, classes, and relations yourself, independently, with pen and paper, and the utility of this book will quickly be realized: it serves as a bridge, between introductory works, and exhaustive focused references.This book may spend a month or three on your bookshelf after you first buy it. You may even question why you did get it to begin with. Its value will come to you when reflection is needed (self-reflection, that is, not just the Java kind).So, visit numerous websites...Download the .PDF files, and browse the .HTML references. Also, get books that this book supports, and not the other way around. This can include O'Reilly's "Java Examples In A Nutshell", and Wiley And Sons' "Effective VisualAge For Java Version 3". And whenever you need to slow down, and figure out how and why the inheritance and implementation was done the way it was, and which parts of a d

Despite mixed reviews from several other readers, I can gaurantee you that this book will help you learn the Java programming language, hence the name "Learning Java." Previous programming experience is required however, with knowledge of things such as operators, variables, conditionals, etc. Nothing too advanced is required, though.I bought this book as my first Java book, and it was excellent in guiding me through step-by-step, the process of learning the intricate language developed by Sun Microsystems. I had advanced knowledge of Perl and some C++ skills coming into this book (which by the way are both very similar to Java) and did fine. No Perl is needed, I just thought I'd mention that they were similar. C++ is recommended to get through this book, though, as it makes references to different operators in C++ as you go along.The book starts out with four examples, but little explaination. Don't worry though, the author is just kind of jumping the gun. The following sections take you step-by-step through the different functions and the ways of the syntax, with more examples scattered throughout.If you have some experience in C++ and have never used, or used little of before, I recommend buying this book now. Who knows, it may even make a great reference book for experienced Java programmers, but I'm not to that point yet.

I bought this book a few weeks back and have read about half of it. I have about 5 yrs of C++ behind me, and I wanted to learn Java. This book really did it for me. I must agree with some other reviewers that this is not a book to learn Java as a first programming language, because it doesn't spend a lot of time on syntax and stuff. But it covers the language extremely well and give many tips and warns against some pitfalls.The book give an overview of all the base classes, so it's good to read it BEFORE you start coding. That way you will know all the Java classes and be able to pick the the best design right of the bat.There is also a good section on programming Java using the SDK directly as opposed to some IDE. Personally I think it's very important to understand how things are done under the hood.So a great book for learning Java, but some programming knowledge (preferably OO) is required to get the most of this book. If you liked other O'Reilly books, you'll like this one.

I admit, I have read several other texts on Java and taken a couple of intro Java programming courses. Nonetheless, "Learning Java" appealed to me as I am just starting to use Java at work... I found this book helpful in distilling what I knew so far and focusing in on the practical aspects of object oriented software development. Lucid, elegant treatment of big concepts such as inheritance, as well as little gems such as the discussion of jar files. This book will be on my shelf for a long time to come!