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Your search returned 6 matching documents
Head First Java
by
Bert Bates, Kathy Sierra
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O'Reilly
1 edition
May 2003
650 pages
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Reviewed by Pauline McNamara, January 2004
         (9 of 10)
I wish this book had been around a few years ago when I first starting learning to program with Java. It's perfect. Aimed at not-quite-raw beginners with a little scripting experience, Head First Java hits the target. It covers the basics (and some) well enough for ambitious beginners too. If you're not new to Java you won't be disappointed either - while explaining programming concepts Sierra and Bates pass on lots of insight. You'll learn not only the what and the how, but also the why, as if a brilliant friend were sitting down with you at the computer, talking you through each point. Over coffee. Reassuring you about the slippery parts (with stuff like "don't worry about [insert tougher concept here] that comes later"). Lots of exercises keep you and your brain busy, with enough variety to pick the ones that suit you. True to the book's subtitle, "Your Brain on Java - A Learner's Guide", the authors prove that using conversational tone, lots of graphics, goofy humor and examples that you can relate to are really what make it stick, AND enjoyable. If it had a little thinner errata list and a little thicker index I'd call it flawless. Do your brain a favor and feed it this book.
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O'Reilly
1 edition
May 2003
650 pages
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Reviewed by Thomas Paul, November 2003
 (10 of 10)
Who do Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates think they are? Don't they know that learning a programming language is supposed to be hard? Don't they know that it is supposed to involve suffering? Apparently not, as they have written a complete introduction to Java that is fun to read and easy to understand. If we don't stamp this out now, students will start expecting their teachers to be entertaining!
The book is an excellent introduction to Java. It covers all the typical topics of a basic introductory text and some extra including serialization, networking, and distributed computing. Each topic is covered in a fun way with important information highlighted. The authors use stories, fake interviews, pictures, nd assorted other clever techniques to catch your imagination and make the opics memorable. There are plenty of exercises (with answers) to help you check to be sure you understood each chapter. And there are plenty of fun programs to code including a cool music machine instead of the typical "reverse a String" exercises.
If you are looking for a traditional text then this book is definitely not for you. Instructors should think carefully whether this book fits in with their style of teaching. This book is not for everyone but if you want to learn Java and object oriented programming in fun and unique way then this is the book you want. Now I just have to figure out how to keep it away from my students.
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O'Reilly
1 edition
May 2003
650 pages
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Reviewed by Johannes de Jong, June 2003
(10 of 10)
Have you ever had the feeling that you simply missed the finer points of a subject that you studied? That was the case with me with Java and OO in general.
Gartner reckons that only 3 of every 10 programmers with my kind of background will make the "technology switch" from procedural to OO. This book can change that prediction.
The best way for me to describe this book is by using the teacher at school that we all have encountered in our school careers. You know the one that enthusiastically drew the most elaborate drawing on the black board to explain his point, the one that simply generates interest in his subject purely because of his sheer love of the subject he teaches. Now imagine that teacher in book form. The Head First way, you're favorite teacher in a book.
This book made me finally grasp some of the key concepts of OO that one needs to know to be able to fully use the capabilities Java has to offer.
If you are a Java programmer that has problems understanding the finer points of the language and OO in general I suggest you go out and buy the book.
I want to end with a word of caution. This book, because of its uniqueness, might not appeal to everybody. I suggest you browse the book before buying. You will immediately know if the book is for you.
(This review is based on the draft version of the book)
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Head First Design Patterns
by
Elisabeth A. Freeman, Eric Freeman, Bert Bates, Kathy Sierra
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O'Reilly
1 edition
October 2004
676 pages
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Reviewed by David O'Meara, November 2004
(10 of 10)
Make sure you read the introduction so that you know what you're getting into, and to realize you're getting into something great. Rather than being a group of books with little real point of difference, the Head First principles - outlined in the introduction - are geared towards presenting real problems and real solutions with real learning. But we're supposed to be talking about Head First Design Patterns.
The list of patterns presented is small compared to other books, but this works well since the coverage is more about learning the basic patterns well with a solid understanding. Also of great value is the way each pattern is taught by presenting common problems with the obvious, but wrong, solutions and then leading you out of the hole you dug and highlighting the important steps towards a better and more maintainable solution.
I was particularly impressed how the presentation of each pattern was built on solid Object Oriented concepts. But rather than assuming you know these advanced concepts, they are integrated into the learning exercise and presented as a cohesive bundle. The book is also structured so it refers back to and reinforces both the pattern and OO lessons as you progress.
It's hard to find real fault with the book. At times it jumps between topics, is repetitive and a bit irreverent, but this is all part of the formula and exactly what is promised.
Beginner or experienced, you better be careful or you might learn something.
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Head First Servlets & JSP
by
Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates, Bryan Basham,
Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates, Bryan Basham
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O'Reilly
second edition
March 2008
911 pages
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Reviewed by Ulf Dittmer, May 2008
(8 of 10)
The second edition of this classic book about the Java Servlet and JSP API continues the tradition of other Head First titles that liven up the text with pictures, hand-scribbled notes, questions&answers and other devices to engage the reader's brain. Never having read a Head First book before, this reviewer was pleasantly surprised by how well this works. Even though the book is much thicker than I consider healthy for a tech book (over 800 pages), it's an easy read thanks to the lively prose and varied content elements.
The book is billed as a preparation aid for the SCWCD exam, but it also serves as a general introduction to Servlets and JSP. I found it easy to read individual chapters (e.g. on the Expression Language, servlet filters or custom tags) by themselves to refresh knowledge on particular topics. It's made clear which exam objectives are covered in each chapter, and there are exam-style questions and answers that go with the text, plus a brand-new mock exam with as many questions as the actual exam has.
I recommend this book as a tutorial -- not as a reference -- to anyone needing to come up to speed with servlets/JSP, or in need of learning aspects of it he hasn't used before. (Disclaimer: The author of this review was one of the tech reviewers of the book.)
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O'Reilly
1 edition
July 2004
886 pages
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Reviewed by Marc Peabody, February 2006
(10 of 10)
Over at the JavaRanch Saloon's Web Component Certification (SCWCD) forum, Head First Servlets & JSP dominates as the book of choice. It appeals to both those with and those without Java EE experience and I'm constantly amazed at how quickly everyone learns using this book. The SCWCD testimonies that say "I passed!" are most often appended with "Thank you, Head First, for such a wonderful book!"
A couple points about what to expect:
* This is no crammer's book. You will get more than book smarts -- you will understand the significance of the questions and objectives to real world Java enterprise programming.
* Nor is this book a flowery tutorial. This is hardcore programming wisdom. It would take you at least two years of real-world, painful, trial-and-error experience to gain the equivalent knowledge on your own. That's just stupid.
I passed the SCWCD exam years ago (before Head First Servlets & JSP existed) but now I am going to upgrade my certification to the latest version. I have never been so confident for an exam before. I am soooo ready!
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Head First JavaScript
by
Michael Morrison
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O'Reilly Media, Inc.
1 edition
January 2008
650 pages
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Reviewed by Katrina Owen, May 2008
(9 of 10)
Head First JavaScript starts off by illustrating why JavaScript can be useful (adding pizzaz, interactivity, and excitement to a website), and then goes about leading the reader in experiments, exercises, and games which introduce various aspects of the language: variables, scope, objects, control statements, and events. The book also introduces debugging and very basic Ajax.
The irreverent Head First style cleverly disguises the fact that you will walk away from the book understanding 'stuff'. This is not a recipe book, and it is not a code mill. The examples are for one purpose only: trick your brain into understanding a concept. The exercises do the same thing - often adding emotional spice by letting you walk straight into a trap (a typical mistake made by most novices), and then helping you understand exactly why you made that particular mistake on the very next page.
Did someone say "Just in Time" learning?
If you are a JavaScript guru, the book will probably be an entertaining read, but not much more than that. If the extent of your javascript knowledge is copying and pasting scripts written sometime prior to y2k and then tearing your hair out when they don't work the way you need them to, then this is the perfect place to start gaining the proficiency you need to start writing your own scripts from scratch.
Head First JavaScript is a great foundation, and will have you reading and enjoying more advanced texts in no time.
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Head First HTML5 Programming
by
Eric Freeman, Elisabeth Robson
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O'Reilly Media
edition
October 2011
608 pages
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Reviewed by John Wetherbie, November 2011
(9 of 10)
So, what's in it for you if you buy Head First HTML5 Programming? Well, you'll get a book that focuses on helping you "get" HTML5 and helping you not to forget what you learned. The authors approach this task by providing short introductions to a topic, such as a particular aspect of JavaScript, and then having you work exercises - some paper and some coding. The authors even encourage you to write in the book. Make sure you have a pencil!
Keeping your interest, and hence your attention, is a strength of the book. Lots of pictures and notes all over the place? You bet. Its all part of getting the important information about HTML5 that you want to learn (otherwise why did you get the book?) to your brain. Once they have your attention the authors help you retain the material by presenting it in a variety of ways and having you do a variety of exercises. The exercises are key to getting the knowledge into your head and keeping it there.
The book expects that you know HTML and CSS to some extent and provides very good introductions to JavaScript and its new APIs. The topics covered in the book include:
- An introduction to JavaScript
- Using the Geolocation API in your web pages
- Web apps & JSON
- Being artistic with the Canvas API
- Becoming a video star with the Video API
- Using storage in client browsers
- Using Web Workers to get the job done outside the main JavaScript thread
I highly recommend this book. It is aimed to help you learn, have fun while you're learning, and to help you retain this knowledge so you can go out there and do great HTML5 stuff.
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Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for writing this review on behalf of CodeRanch.
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Head First EJB: Passing the Sun Certified Business Component Developer Exam
by
Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates
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O'Reilly
1 edition
October 2003
700 pages
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Reviewed by Matthew Phillips, December 2003
(8 of 10)
Kathy and Bert strike again with their wacky ways. They'll approach a topic in just about any method they can think of to make you learn this stuff and they can think of a lot.
The chapters are organized well. I like that each chapter opens with the exam objectives it will cover along with a "plain English" interpretation of what those objectives really mean. That is the way of the whole book. Code which requires explanation has the explanation written write next to it, with arrows pointing to the appropriate lines. Everything in the book is explained in two or more different fashions which insures the information will get into your head to stay.
I do have one critism, and it was big enough for me to drop the rating from 10 to an 8. I believe that writing and deploying code is essential to learn any API and EJB is no exception. The authors did not emphasize that method of teaching enough for me. If you are looking for just the raw facts made interesting, then this is the book for you. If you want an emphasis on writing and deploying code as well, then you should probably read this book anyway and then move on to one of the other EJB books on the market.
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