Java Programming

EDIT: I am editing this review to give 2 more stars. I am now taking a C# class, & having to use the book by Doyle "C# Programming: From Problem Analysis to Program Design".Farrell's book is so much better than that book, I am bumping Farrell's book to 4 stars. Why?Because Farrell will give 1-2 programming examples & FINISH her points about it, before going to the next program example.Doyle gives 3-4 examples per chapter, but jumps all over the place back & forth trying to make her point, til you don't know WHICH program she is on. This jumping back & forth before you finish something is very confusing.----------------------------------------------------------I had to buy this book for my Java 101 class. This book is pretty bad. I have lots of Java books: the 6th edition of this, Java for Dummies, Java: A Beginners Guide, and Java Illuminated. I have needed them to get thru Farrell's book.For those who don't like to read reviews: get Java Illuminated, FIVE STAR BOOK (it has & does everything Farrell refuses to do. Farrell's on the 7th edition of this book & still can't get it right. I personally think she ought to hang it up, as a teacher or author, she has had plenty of chances already).For those who want the nitty gritty, "Let Me Count the Ways Farrell Fails"1. There are no answers in the book for any end- of-chapter problems. There are whole companies making money off this problem (ex: Chegg). I feel like putting my code on github for the answers, as this is so pitiful by Farrell. Why do schools keep using this book?!?2. She consistently has tables of methods to use, but doesn't say what datatype they return. Duh. Well, I guess she is consistently bad.3. When she gets to enums, she fails to tell you what Java library they are in. So when you get to her table on enum methods & she doesn't say what datatype they return... you can't try to be a good student, & look at the Oracle Java API, because you don't know what library they are in. "Guess!", she says, laughing at you. "Spend an hour digging thru it!", she says.4. She is always talking about some videos she has to explain concepts, for this book. Only, if your school didn't buy the access, you are SOL.5. The 6th edition has the chapter code for download. Try finding the chapter code for the 7th edition, lol. Its not on the publisher website or anywhere else. (I suggest finding the 6th ed code for download, as some of it is similar to the 7th ed).Now, for Java Illuminated:1. It has answers for probably 1/2 of the exercises. I'll take that.2. It has videos & an interactive website that YES! You can access without your cheapskate school.3. There is a disk of chapter code that comes with the book.4. For every method they use in a chapter topic, they have the API IN THE CHAPTER right as you are reading the same page! This is so helpful.5. They have an API appendix of every method they used in the book, also.If I had to rank the books I have in order of helpfulness/ readability, it would be:Java Illuminated > > > Java for Dummies > Farrell > Java: A Beginner's Guide.Farrell has 1 part I like - the You-Do-Its, in every chapter.So, in conclusion:public class Farrell { public static void main(String[] args) { Farrell.oneStar( "because you can't give zero stars " + "1 star for You-Do-It"); } // end main} // end Farrell

I like the book a lot. It is required for my Java programming class I am taking. Very easy to follow for me. I specifically like the "you try" parts, it helps reaffirm the readings. There are only a couple of places that I had to re-read but I think it was more understanding the concept vs the book being hard to comprehend. I would recommend this for anyone that is looking for learning Java. The reason I took one star away is that I feel it should have come with a CD or website that you can download some of the programs it talks about and shows you where you can play with them yourself.

This is my second Java book I have been through and I must say that I really like the author's teaching style. That said this may not be the best book for a beginner. My previous Java book was more of a beginners book to lay the foundation, though there were concepts that I was still not able to grasp. That is where this book shines. Having already had a base, this book was able to pickup those pieces that I was unable to understand and put them in a way that actually made sense.

This book is extremely difficult to read as the information is presented in reverse-thought paragraphing, with the topic sentence usually buried inside the paragraph, the example sentence is often first, but never makes its point, and the final sentence sometimes supports the second sentence or references something in a future chapter. Whaaat?I have very little programming experience with only minor HTML & CSS writing. The Preface specifically states, "This textbook assumes that you have little or no programming experience...The explanations in this textbook are written clearly in straightforward sentences..." Yay! Wait... Huh? Um, no. I heartily disagree.By chapter 2, I felt overwhelmed with programmer mental processing. I am married to a programmer and know what this feels like. To a non-programmer, it is like being an amateur hiker and trying to climb straight up a mountain no matter the terrain or mega-sized rocks, rather than using the switchback path.This book needs a serious overhaul with a non-techie English major to help remove the floundering illogical and non-comprehensible writing structure. It is written with too much of a programmer's hand, and not enough of a "How'd ya do that?" view. The further I read, the more this became status-quo.This book is 1000 pages because it is often wordy without any supporting or concluding examples and statements. Although many of the Figures/examples seem accurate, they usually require the reader to turn the page in order to view them, flipping back and forth to re-read the slacking explanation.It is difficult to move forward from a chapter because the exercises do not always match with the current knowledge base. I have had to spend a lot of time online finding clarification on concepts as the book does not provide assistance. (I am an 'A' student and rarely need outside assistance to "get" the instruction or text.) The author makes too many leaps and assumes too much reader understanding. Even my spouse agreed there were some big steps without structure.Further, and most frustrating as a student, is the book's lack of instruction. There are no formal or informal step-by-step instructions, no base explanations of concepts, no ease of understanding the vocabulary, too many references to what the student "will be learning in future chapters," and each current example lacks presentation consistency as though written by different authors.In conclusion, if reading a tech-manual written in a foreign (programming?) language is your thing, then this book is the ticket. However, if you are wanting to learn Java, but do not want to pull your hair out and cry in front of your spouse, this is NOT the book for you.

I had zero experience with java before reading this book and it was assigned during two of my courses (so I have officially read the whole thing). I thought it was the best of all my text books; it helped me to understand the basics of java as well as the basics of object-oriented programming. The exercises that followed each chapter were challenging and fun. Would definitely recommend for anyone trying to learn java.

This is an earlier edition of the textbook that will be used in a three-course series at Central Carolina Technical College. I look forward to being able to get even more in depth into the book once the course starts next month, but meanwhile, I am enjoying the book for pre-reading.

Good condition- as described

great book for the beginning programmer. teaches you how to program in a logical progressive manner that makes it easier to understand