It has taken four years, but with Head First Java the introductory Java book category has finally come of age. This is an excellent book, far more capable than any of the scores of Java-for-novices books that have come before it. Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates deserve rich kudos--and big sales--for developing this book's new way of teaching the Java programming language, because any reader with even a little bit of discipline will come away with true understanding of how the language works. Perhaps best of all, this is no protracted "Hello, World" introductory guide. Readers get substantial exposure to object-oriented design and implementation, serialization, neatwork programming, threads, and Remote Method Invocation (RMI).

Key to the authors' teaching style are carefully designed graphics. Rather than explain class inheritance (to cite one example) primarily with text, the authors use a series of tree diagrams that clarify the mechanism far more succinctly. The diagrams are carefully annotated with arrows and notes. Also characteristic of the unique teaching strategy is heavy reliance on exercises, in which the reader is asked to complete partial classes, write whole new code segments and do design work. Though there's little discussion of why the exercises' correct answers are what they are, it's clear that the practice work was carefully designed to reinforce the lesson at hand. If you've waited this long to give Java a try, this book is a great choice. --David Wall

Topics covered: The Java programming language for people with no Java experience, and even people with no programming experience at all. Key concepts read like a list of Java features: Object oriented design, variable type and scope, object properties and methods, inheritance and polymorphism, exceptions, graphical user interfaces (GUIs), network connectivity, Java archives (JAR files), and Remote Method Invocation (RMI).

From Book News, Inc.
Taking a very different approach to teaching Java, two Sun trainers break the sometimes complex concepts of Java into bite-size morsels for the brain and supplement them with visual cues, unexpected humor, and puzzles to keep the brain stimulated. Assuming minimal programming exposure, they cover objects, variables, object state, the Java library, polymorphism, memory management, exception handling, graphical user interfaces, networking sockets, and deploying the finished application.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Book Description
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 its 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.

From the Inside Flap
"It's fast, irreverent, fun and engaging. Be careful--you might actually learn something!" - Ken Arnold, coauthor (with James Gosling, creator of Java) The Java Programming Language "It's definitely time to dive in--Head First." - Scott McNealy, Sun Microsystems, Chairman, President, and CEO

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Head First Java is a beginning Java primer like you￯﾿ﾽve never seen before (and believe us, we￯﾿ﾽve seen plenty). This book makes Java fun. No, that doesn￯﾿ﾽt do it justice. Imagine learning Java from Robin Williams. (The comedian, we mean. If you can imagine him as a truly great Java programmer.)

Synapses firing, new ideas, new connections, attitude all over the place: That￯﾿ﾽs Head First Java. (Where else can you watch Java objects expose their inner secrets on Java Tabloid TV? Or learn why Lucy really keeps her variables private?)

Hilarious captioned photos. Text that￯﾿ﾽs actually funny (and we don￯﾿ﾽt mean the kind of ￯﾿ﾽalleged￯﾿ﾽ funny you￯﾿ﾽve seen in computer books before -- the kind that makes you cringe). Games. Puzzles. Mysteries. ￯﾿ﾽBe the compiler￯﾿ﾽ exercises. Great analogies.

And all these goodies weren￯﾿ﾽt bolted on at the end to enliven a deadly narrative or fit a format. They￯﾿ﾽre here to make the ideas come alive. And it works.

If you prefer to be lectured, if you prefer a rigid format where you know exactly what to expect every time you turn the page￯﾿ﾽlook elsewhere. Head First Java has a surprise waiting on pretty much every spread. Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates, and the gang at O￯﾿ﾽReilly figure that people learn best when they￯﾿ﾽre fully engaged. When they￯﾿ﾽre being tickled. When they￯﾿ﾽre on the floor laughing. (And the latest research in cognitive science, neurobiology, and educational psychology backs them up.)

In Chapter 1, you￯﾿ﾽll build your first app -- not Hello World, but your own personal Phrase-O-Matic. Then, it￯﾿ﾽs straight outta main() -- or, as the authors put it, ￯﾿ﾽWe￯﾿ﾽre leaving this dusty old procedural town for good.￯﾿ﾽ You￯﾿ﾽll learn why objects are better through an imaginary competition between Larry, the procedural programmer and Brad, the OO guy (winner gets the cool Aeron chair).

Next, it￯﾿ﾽs on to primitive and reference variables. Think of ￯﾿ﾽem as cups. Think of 64 and Double 64 primitives as Starbucks Grande cups. Java cares about type and won￯﾿ﾽt let you put a Giraffe into a Rabbit variable: ￯﾿ﾽWhat happens when someone tries to ask the so-called Rabbit to hop()? You￯﾿ﾽll get to know life -- and death -- on the garbage collectible heap. There￯﾿ﾽs a full chapter on object behavior and on encapsulation (￯﾿ﾽdo it or risk humiliation and ridicule￯﾿ﾽ).

One big idea at a time, you make it through every Java fundamental. Solving problems with the Java Library APIs. Inheritance. Object-oriented design. Serious polymorphism, and interfaces: ￯﾿ﾽthe caffeine in Java.￯﾿ﾽ Constructors. Memory management. Garbage collection. Java math (static methods and variables, math methods, wrappers, and number formatting). Exception handling. GUIs, event handling, layout managers, and Swing components. Object serialization. File I/O. Networking and threads. Even getting your code ready for release (e.g., code organization, packages, executable JARs, and Java Web Start (which launches your application for the first time as a web browser and then runs it on a stand-alone basis).

Throughout Head First Java, you￯﾿ﾽll also find answers to the ￯﾿ﾽdumb questions￯﾿ﾽ other books don￯﾿ﾽt deign to answer. Oh, and plenty of ￯﾿ﾽReady-bake code.￯﾿ﾽ You￯﾿ﾽll never forget this Java book -- or what you learn from it. Bill Camarda

Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2000 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks for Dummies, Second Edition.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

We know what you're thinking -- why is there a duck in the memory management section? Can a girl in a bathtub illustrate the fine points of polymorphism? Is this for real? Prepare to have your mind opened! 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. The more different ways you process the material, the more you'll remember, and the better you'll be able to put what you learn to use. Despite its playful appearance, Head First Java is serious stuff -- a complete introduction to object-oriented (OO) programming and Java. You'll learn everything from fundamentals to advanced topics, including threads, network sockets, and distributed programming with RMI. More importantly, you'll learn how to think like an object-oriented developer. And you won't just be reading and solving puzzles. You'll be writing real Java, and lots of it, including the "sink a dot com" game, a trivia quiz, a networked musical chat system, and a universal service browser. If you want to be bored, go buy some other book. Please. (We'd tell you which book, but we'd probably be sued.) But if you want to learn Java, get a high-paying job (right), and improve your social life at the same time, you need Head First Java.

SYNOPSIS