Excellent Beginner's Book
This is a great book for people just getting started in programming. There is enough information here to keep you busy for a long while, and unlike most programming books, it doesn't make your eyes glaze over. Of course, you can't expect this book to give you everything you would ever need -- you wouldn't be able to pick it up. For the novice, however, it is an excellent introduction.
Will not make you a Java programmer
How can anyone give 4 or 5 stars to this book?! I read it twice, very carefully. Many critical concepts are just mentioned, not EXPLAINED. This book will not make you a Jave programmer. And it is not good as a reference book either. Actually I don't know what it's good for. I wasted my time, and now I have to order another book. If you goal is getting an overview of what Java is, go for it. But if you want to learn Java, try something else.
Perfect for the complete beginner - and at a great price!
I've finally found the perfect book for the programmer newbie to learn Java. This book has just the right tone and content to get my teenager into programming. It doesn't cover everything, just the vitals, while giving the student confidence to forge ahead with their own projects. No question, this is just a starter book, and others will be needed. Yet, this is the only book I've found that doesn't assume prior programming knowledge, is well designed, organized and written, and doesn't bury the student in object-oriented or other programming jargon. Plus, it teaches with a light, yet competent, touch. As if that weren't enough, it costs under $20! Note that, while the book doesn't contain a CD (which would only bloat the price), the code and data for the examples are available online.
A great way to start
If you're new to programming and/or Java then reading this book is a great way to start. First off it's fun to read and doesn't bore you with it's approach. The examples are easy to follow and give you a good overview of the subject matter.However, whilst this is a good starter, you'll need to move on to a more indepth read if you want to cover the subject matter more thoroughly.
just a letter
This is a great book that is very easy to understand and I'm just 15 years old if that tells you anything. It is a great book and I would recommend it to beginners and experts alike.
