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Head First Java, 2nd Edition
By: Kathy Sierra; Bert Bates
Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Pub. Date: February 9, 2005
Print ISBN-13: 978-0-596-00920-5
Pages in Print Edition: 720
Subscriber Rating:
[59 Ratings] Subscriber Reviews
Overview
Learning a complex new language is no easy task especially when it s an object-oriented computer programming language like Java. You might think the problem is your brain. It seems to have a mind of its own, a mind that doesn't always want to take in the dry, technical stuff you're forced to study. The fact is your brain craves novelty. It's constantly searching, scanning, waiting for something unusual to happen. After all, that's the way it was built to help you stay alive. It takes all the routine, ordinary, dull stuff and filters it to the background so it won't interfere with your brain's real work--recording things that matter. How does your brain know what matters? It's like the creators of the Head First approach say, suppose you're out for a hike and a tiger jumps in front of you, what happens in your brain? Neurons fire. Emotions crank up. Chemicals surge. That's how your brain knows. And that's how your brain will learn Java. Head First Java combines puzzles, strong visuals, mysteries, and soul-searching interviews with famous Java objects to engage you in many different ways. It's fast, it's fun, and it's effective. And, despite its playful appearance, Head First Java is serious stuff: a complete introduction to object-oriented programming and Java. You'll learn everything from the fundamentals to advanced topics, including threads, network sockets, and distributed programming with RMI. And the new. second edition focuses on Java 5.0, the latest version of the Java language and development platform. Because Java 5.0 is a major update to the platform, with deep, code-level changes, even more careful study and implementation is required. So learning the Head First way is more important than ever. If you've read a Head First book, you know what to expect--a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works. If you haven't, you're in for a treat. You'll see why people say it's unlike any other Java book you've ever read. By exploiting how your brain works, Head First Java compresses the time it takes to learn and retain--complex information. Its unique approach not only shows you what you need to know about Java syntax, it teaches you to think like a Java programmer. If you want to be bored, buy some other book. But if you want to understand Java, this book's for you.
Subscriber Reviews
Average Rating: 
Based on 59 Ratings
"Not funny...let be serious..." - by CodeMeister on 05-MAR-2013
Reviewer Rating: 
Too much uninteresting playful banter. There is no way to make a manual interesting. As a resource this book intermixes attempted humor with programming concepts but fails in the fact that it makes it tough to get past the humor and use the book as a serious reference. I am trying to tough it out but the metodology is making it difficult to proceed. This is the first "Head First" book I have used, I hope that I can adjust to the approach and swim throught the attempt a comedy.
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"Later aged programmer" - by Anonymous on 16-FEB-2013
Reviewer Rating:
I did not do any programming until I was in my late 20's. I kept hearing about objects and object orientation. I never heard an explanation that adequately explained this concept.
I felt this book did so in a good manner. I am also coming from a computer programming school where the other languages that I tried to learn did not introduce this concept until late, if they did at all.
I appreciated that they felt object orientation was important enough to introduce early. I highly recommend this to anyone who is new to programming or object orientation.
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"Amazing book makes learning fun and easy!!!" - by FireBird1549 on 17-JUL-2012
Reviewer Rating:
I generally hate reading books of this nature. I typically prefer that books be for referance only because in my opinion most books of this nature do a terrable job of teaching you the subject at hand unless you can relate the stuff to something you are actually working on.
This book stands out of the crowd. The book uses imaginary stories and interviews to relate the material to everyday things that people already understand. This book is actually captivating, fun and interesting to read through even if you are someone like me who hates to sit down and read a book from start to finish. This book pulls me in and it is hard to put it down. VERY AMAZING AND CREATIVE methods are used to help teach the reader the information.
Simply put... I love this book!
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"Ok Book, for Non-Technical" - by Anonymous on 03-JAN-2012
Reviewer Rating:
I am a technical employee. The way this book is written is somewhat childish. I find the facts to be correct and decent, but I feel the level of this bok is not that for what should be read for a post-college employee taking a boot camp course.
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"Not so great" - by micheleaz on 08-SEP-2011
Reviewer Rating:
I am not so impressed with this book. I think it tries to be different than your run of the mill textbook on programming but fails as far as understanding where the entire thing is going. I think the exercises at the end of the chapter are not helpful as far as understanding the core concepts. I think there are definitely better and easier to understand textbooks out there. However, I have to read this book for a class so I am stuck with it for the duration.
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Top Level Categories:
Information Technology & Software Development
Sub-Categories:
Information Technology & Software Development > Programming
Programming > Java
Table of Contents
Extras
The publisher has provided additional content related to this title.
Description | Content |
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Visit the catalog page for Head First Java, 2nd Edition |
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Visit the errata page for Head First Java, 2nd Edition |
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Download the supplemental electronic content for Head First Java, 2nd Edition |
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