Java Fundamentals I and II (Video Training)
by
Deitel and Associates Inc.
Prentice Hall PTR
1 edition
March 2008
128 pages
Reviewed by Marc Peabody, May 2008
(6 of 10)
First off, this didn't work in my DVD player. I had to play it from the computer. Small bummer.
This was basically fourteen hours of staring at code already written in a NetBeans editor while a faceless (and somewhat monotone) voice explained how the code works. The mouse pointer moves around or highlights some text to point out a particular area of code, the lessons sometimes shift to JavaDoc or a diagram, and you see Paul's face while he gives the intro and summary of each lesson but it wasn't enough to keep me engaged.
Most if not all of the examples come from the book Java How to Program by Deitel and Associates, also around a hundred bucks. Personally, I'd prefer the book. If I'm staring at a pre-existing code sample, it's easier to read on paper. This does come with a small supplemental book with code samples but it's black and white, whereas the Java How to Program is in beautiful color.
Overall, this LiveLessons DVD pack isn't horrible - I simply think the Deitel book is a better value and I can only recommend this DVD product if you have two hundred dollars to spend and you wish to buy both the Java How to Program book and purchase this LiveLessons as a supplemental to break up the pace of your reading (it's a big book).
(6 of 10)
