Java: A Beginner's Guide, Eighth Edition

Herbert Schildt has done it again. Five Star update to his previous JAVA programming books. I am a C/C++ programmer. So picking up JAVA was not hard for me. It only took me a week pick up JAVA back in 2004. Got this book as a reference to the new add-on's/changes to the language. I have recommend this author to beginners several times before. On a personal note, thanks Herb for taking my call and talking with me. Love your C/C++, JAVA texts, and your clear uncluttered writing style.

This book is capable of teaching anyone that really has the desire to learn. I like that it’s to the point without all the unnecessary jokes and story time. Too many books are filled with excess chat chit. Very easy to follow.

Like many Java textbooks, the book is not really written for the non-programmer. (That does not mean it can't be used as a text in a class for beginners-- but the students would have to rely on faculty lectures to provide the "how-to-program" basics.) Its strengths are its clarity and its comprehensiveness in topic coverage. There are a couple of interesting aspects that should be noted. (1) The book has very little coverage of the API and Core libraries, except where a specific topic (like GUI or Multi-threading or I/O) require. For example, unlike most texts, there is no mention of ArrayList. The focus is on the language, not the library. (2) Related to this point is the handling of i/o. The Scanner class is absent from the book. Since much of early programming courses involve token-oriented i/o, this could pose a compatibility challenge for an instructor seeking to adopt the text. At the same time, the treatment of Streams and binary data is excellent... but naturally treated late in the book. There are plenty of justifications one could make for this approach; but it is something that should be kept in mind.

...siempre y cuando ya tengas al menos una base de conocimientos de programación

This is the best programming book I have ever used.

Great Information, You can't go wrong with picking up this book.

I originally bought this book for my 16 year old son who was interested in learning more Java and programming in general, but after this book he seems to have lost all interest in Java. He claimed the book was very confusing at times and didn't do the best job at explaining certain concepts or have many exercises in order for him to understand Java better. After taking a look at it myself, this should not be considered a "Beginner's Guide." Look elsewhere for a programming book.

Excellent book for an introduction to Java.