Objects First with Java: A Practical Introduction Using BlueJ [With CDROM and Access Code]

One really bad way to teach basic math in elementary school is to stick a calculator into a kid's hand and have her learn how to use it. The kid might be multiplying large numbers together in no time, but she won't have any real understanding of what she's doing. There's an analagous problem with learning computer programming languages using the latest whizzy integrated development environments (IDEs). The IDE does a lot of the leg work for you behind the scenes and code gets 'automagically' generated, but you don't really understand what's going on. Worse still, some of the major Java IDEs are so feature-rich that it's an uphill struggle just to understand the IDE, let alone to try and learn Java and object-oriented programming (OOP). If what I've just described mirrors your own experience in trying to learn Java using the popular Java IDEs, then read on ... the wonderful Bluej Java enviroment and this accompanying book, may be just what you've been looking for. "Objects First with Java" is an absolute Godsend for anybody who wants to really learn Java from the ground up, and in the process, develop a clear understanding of object-oriented programming. The examples in the book are superbly illustrated using the author's "BlueJ" Java environment which comes on the CD included with the book. BlueJ lets you create your own Java modules and then interact directly with them, allowing you to experiment with their behavior as you edit and compile individual Java classes. Based upon the example projects that also come on the CD, you can alter or rewrite the Java code, compile it with BlueJ and immediately see the results. This kind of direct experimentation makes learning more fun and allows the reader to really assimilate the core principles of the Java language and the OOP paradigm that it embodies. The book is beautifully laid out with code snippets, subject summaries and exercises all color-coded. The text is written in an accessible and conversational style that is lacking in a lot of the traditional, "dry" computer texts that are often about as much fun as having root canal work. In spite of this, the book manages to completely avoid the "light and fluffy" approach of some tutorial style texts that are overly chatty and ultimately rather lighweight. "Objects First" is a serious text for anybody wanting to learn Java and OOP and although I consider myself an experienced programmer in other computer languages, with considerable prior exposure to OOP, I never felt bored or talked down to by this book. In summary then, I whole-heartedly recommend this book to new and experienced programmers alike who wish to learn Java well and my advice would be this: Do yourself a favor, put aside the complex Java IDE for now, buy this book, download the latest editions of BlueJ and Sun's Java environment from the web (the versions on the CD are not the latest and greatest) and REALLY learn Java!

This book is what I've always looked for, it doesn't expect you to know anything about OOP or even programming. Step by step the author takes you into the concepts of OOP. There are no "hidden" steps, that you must understand without explanation, every construct that is used is explained when it's used, and the steps are small enought to give everyone the time to understand everything thoroughly. The book has always additional excercises for every chapter, that help you to retry the concepts you've learned. This is very helpful because you might have the feeling that you'd understand what you've read, but it might be that you just understood the example not the concept itself. So I can recommend this book to everyone who wants a real good start in Java and OOP. This book is not meant as a reference book, it's meant for teaching yourself and others in the basics of Java and OOP with the help of BlueJ.

This book is intended to be a course text book for an introductory course in Java and Object Oriented Programming. The authors have made a conscious decision to cover the material in a different order to almost all other books on the subject. You won't find an initial chapter on classpaths, compilation and the main method, there's no pseudo-procedural "hello, world" example. The book leaps straight in to creating objects from classes, examining values and calling methods.There is a trick to all this, of course. The book is based on a kind of Java development environment optimised for teaching called "BlueJ". BlueJ is a free download, and a copy is included on a CD with the book, along with all the source code examples. I've had a play with BlueJ, and it certainly makes important things like the distinction between a class and an object, and the inheritance structure of the code, much clearer than traditional IDEs.If you are planning to teach a course on Java or OO, you should certainly take a look at this book. Even if you don't run the course exactly as presented, the approach is fascinating. If you are trying to pick up these tricky ideas on your own, this book might also be very useful. Even if none of those cases apply, the BlueJ software is still a really neat tool for prototyping.

I have been teaching programming to beginners for almost 20 years. I found leaning object oriented programming took me a long time, I believe it has taken most of the text book authors a long time also, many of them still don't get it. The authors of Objects First have taken a giant leap and provide an introduction to OOP (using Java) that is a must read for anyone wanting to learn to program with objects (even more experienced programmers).Do not read any OOP texts that refuse to start with a discussion of objects from the first page. This book simply gets it right!In addition to the great topic coverage, the authors use the BlueJ environment to demonstrate OOP concepts. This environment is unique (and free) and allows students to explore OOP in a way that other programming environments simple don't provide.Not only do the authors clearly discuss OOP but they also discuss important software engineering concepts along the way.Buy this book, work through the incremental exercises, and you will not be disappointed.

Finally, a book that teaches objects and Java without any procedural programming baggage!Unlike other books that introduce objects in chapter 4 or 5 (almost as an afterthought!) and start out with the pre-object "Hello World" program, this book dives right into creating objects and manipulating them. "public static void main" doesn't even rear it's ugly head until half-way through the book, where it belongs. The included Bluej IDE ... is incredibly easy to use and it's very intuitive.I bought a copy of this for the library at work to help my team of procedural COBOL programmers understand objects and Java. It seems to be more valuable than the other books purchased and several thousand dollars of training.Another benefit is that the examples you write from the text are actually useful tools!Please, seriously consider getting this book if you are starting to learn Java or just don't quite understand objects. It will spare you a lot of frustration.