Big Java (ISBN 0470105542) Book Reviews 1-7 Sorted By Most Recent, at VeryWellSaid.com

Great book

This book is written in plain english. I like the way they build on a project.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-12-27 06:08:34 EST)

10-01-08

1\1

A strong introduction

First, this is unmistakably a book for entry-level programmers. The experienced might find other books more useful -- this one starts with basic principles.

That said, I still found it useful enough to keep my copy after I was through with the course that required it.

The writing is very clear, with numerous examples. Concepts from variables to multithreading are generally explained in an easy-to-follow manner. The book is nicely laid out and well-indexed, too, and the combination of traits makes it a good quick-reference tool for a refresher.

It is, however, lacking in depth of technical detail. This makes it easily accessible to new programmers, but experienced ones will want to have other references handy.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-10-25 05:21:01 EST)

09-24-08

(NA)

review

The book is a good source for creating code in java. It takes you step by step through the process of learning Java code writting.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-10-01 06:31:55 EST)

04-22-08

1\4

Don't buy unless you have to for a course

So-so ho hum textbook. Only got it as it was required for a course I was taking. I would NOT recommend this as a resource to learn the language - you are gonna get rid of it as soon as the class is over. Buy it as cheap as you can and dump it after the class.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-09-24 06:33:16 EST)

03-30-08

(NA)

Good

Having never taken a program course before this, I was pleasantly surprised at the candid nature of Horstmann's writing. Often, author of textbooks will sound promising in their introductions but not deliver in the execution of a tome. Here, however, we find in Horstmann a author gifted at explaining difficult concepts with a lucidity that cannot always be taken for granted. Bravo!

(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-04-17 01:35:37 EST)

02-08-08

1\1

A little too complete, a little too expensive

Don't get me wrong; this is a good Java text. The concepts are explained in a pretty clear manner, which is a trick when trying to explain OOP concepts to someone who has never programmed (which is the book's target audience). But that also leads me to my main criticism of the book: it tries to cover too much material. Anyone who knows C or C++ will find significant chunks of the book to be only review. Even Visual Basic coders will find parts of the book that cover stuff they already know (e.g. rudimentary programming concepts).

So if you've never written a computer program, and you want to learn Java, this might be your best bet (although your goal -- and the price of the book -- are a bit daunting). If you already know how to program, but don't know about objects or Java, I would recommend Eckel's "Thinking in Java" (4th edition), or "Head First Java" from O'Reilly.

(Review Data Last Updated: 2008-03-30 04:03:26 EST)

02-08-08

(NA)

Good entry level java book