Where to learn Java?

[Brian Tkatch]

I am Learning Java with a goal of coding for the Android, (though i may dabble on my Mac as well.) I purchased Oreilly's Learning Java and started skimming when i got to Chapter 8, Generics. Generics, Reflection, and to come extent, Threads, seem a bit too much while trying to get a foothold in the language. While i believe i am in the target audience (experienced coders who enjoy knowing "why"), the lack of complete examples and the non-intuitive progression left me looking for another book.

Though, at least i now (think i) know what i want in a book (or website.) A book aimed at programmers with lots of examples that can be typed in, progressing in a practical fashion. That is, the progression would teach the next best useful area based on what had been covered until then.

[Jano Frank]

Try Java certification book by Kathy Sierra. I think the books go to satisfactory details 'why' with examples.

[sai rajesh chavakula]

Head first Java is the best book for beginers

[Brian Tkatch]

Jano Frank wrote:Try Java certification book by Kathy Sierra. I think the books go to satisfactory details 'why' with examples.

Do you mean OCA/OCP Java SE 7 Programmer I & II Study Guide? Is there something similar for Java 8?

[Jano Frank]

Brian Tkatch wrote:

Jano Frank wrote:Try Java certification book by Kathy Sierra. I think the books go to satisfactory details 'why' with examples.

Do you mean OCA/OCP Java SE 7 Programmer I & II Study Guide? Is there something similar for Java 8?

Yes...I do not think she wrote one for Java 8 yet. Her Java 7 book was published not that long time ago.

If you want to save some money you can buy her Java 6 used book for about $10 and review changes made to Java 7.

I am sure that there are many similar books.

[Brian Tkatch]

Jano Frank wrote:

Brian Tkatch wrote:

Jano Frank wrote:Try Java certification book by Kathy Sierra. I think the books go to satisfactory details 'why' with examples.

Do you mean OCA/OCP Java SE 7 Programmer I & II Study Guide? Is there something similar for Java 8?

Yes...I do not think she wrote one for Java 8 yet. Her Java 7 book was published not that long time ago.

If you want to save some money you can buy her Java 6 used book for about $10 and review changes made to Java 7.

I am sure that there are many similar books.

Looks like the OCA for Java SE 8 is: OCA: Oracle Certified Associate Java SE 8 Programmer I Study Guide
The OCP book is scheduled for released in December: OCP: Oracle Certified Professional Java SE 8 Programmer II Study Guide

But these are different authors than the Java 7 book: Jeanne Boyarsky and Scott Selikoff

[Rohit Gaikwad]

i have been in this Situation where you actually read stuff but finally comes out as You got nothing . i started with java complete reference and then took java : Beginners guide . so my suggestion will be go for Head first java or java:Beginners guide as both books explains the same thing but use different logic

[Knute Snortum]

I wouldn't give up on Learning Java just yet. Maybe start again with Head-First Java and then go back to chapter 8 of Learning.

After you have a good grasp of Java, try Java 8 In Action if you want a good Java 8 book.

[Campbell Ritchie]

A book I haven't seen, but is supposed to be an introductory book:
Java SE8 for the Really Impatient by Cai Horstmann.
The little I have seen of it on Amazon made me think it may move too fast for real beginners.

[Brian Tkatch]

Summarization (linked title, author(s), published date, amazon stars 5/4/3/2/1):

1. Head First Java, 2nd Edition (Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates) 2/9/2005 289/80/32/37/29
2. OCA/OCP Java SE 7 Programmer I & II Study Guide (Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates) 8/24/2014 50/4/3/0/0
3. OCA: Oracle Certified Associate Java SE 8 Programmer I Study Guide (Jeanne Boyarsky, Scott Selikoff) 12/31/2014 13/1/0/1/0
4. Java: A Beginner's Guide Paperback (Herbert Schildt) 4/15/2014 30/8/3/3/2
5. Java 8 in Action: Lambdas, Streams, and functional-style programming (Raoul-Gabriel Urma, Mario Fusco, Alan Mycroft) 8/28/2014 38/7/3/0/0
6. Java SE8 for the Really Impatient: A Short Course on the Basics (Cay S. Horstmann) 1/24/2014 14/6/3/1/1
7. Core Java for the Impatient (Cay S. Horstmann) 2/12/2015 6/0/0/0/0

#1 was suggested twice, mentions javaranch, has the most amount of reviews on Amazon at 467, and 5-1 star ration is 10-to-1, which is pretty good. At 10 years old, it has stood for some time, and it has cute elements while making you think. However, it is about Java 5.
#2 is by the same authors as #1, also mentions javaranch, is about Java 7, and aims to prepare the reader for both the OCA and OCP.
#3 is like #2 for Java 8, but only the OCA, is by different authors, and mentions coderanch (as opposed to javaranch.)
#4 is a book by an established author. The 6th edition is about Java 8.
#5 is for people who know earlier versions of Java to learn what's new about Java 8. It was suggested for after a book on an earlier version.
#6, similarly, is for people who know earlier versions, specifically 6 or 7.
#7 is by the same author as #6 (512 pages as opposed to 240), but is for programmers learning Java.

If not for the old book about an old, old, old version (even the old version's old version considered it old), #1 would be the obvious choice. When searching for which boom the first time, i had seen that recommended, and as an O'Reilly book, it's going to be quality and i can get the ebook (after buying the printed book) immediately. Hmm... AbeBooks has it (+ shipping) used for $15.86. O'Reilly has its ebook for $4.95. At $20.81, even if i only wanted the ebook, this would still likely be the cheapest legal option.

How does that sound?

[Campbell Ritchie]

Brian Tkatch wrote: . . . [Head First Java] for $15.86. . . .

Look around. I am sure I paid less than that for my HFJ.

And kudos for all the work you put into that post

[Brian Tkatch]

Campbell Ritchie wrote:

Brian Tkatch wrote: . . . [Head First Java] for $15.86. . . .

Look around. I am sure I paid less than that for my HFJ.

Ebay has it for $15.86 (total) and comments that it is trending at $14.86 (pre-shipping, i assume.) Other listings are more expensive. (Don't be fooled by this one listed at $6. Shipping is $8.85, for a total of $14.85, and it still has 5+ days to go.) (Though testy, these look tastier.) I don't seem to see it elsewhere for cheaper. Could you give me a hint?

During my search if found this possibly interesting thread. Also, the PDF seems *cough* readily available *cough* online.

[Campbell Ritchie]

The prices for secondhand copies have gone up; they are charging a lot more than when I bought my copy.

[Brian Tkatch]

Campbell Ritchie wrote:The prices for secondhand copies have gone up; they are charging a lot more than when I bought my copy.

So, market forces are also telling us this is a good book too? So, buying this book ought to be an investment, not only for the language, but for resale value!

I'm probably going to buy it later tonight or tomorrow. I'm not going to read it right now, and someone else might find it cheaper. I ought to post an update when i make the purchase.

[Jeffrey Gutierrez]

Introduction to Java Programming, Comprehensive Version, 10th Edition - Y Daniel Liang.

I've also gone through java for dummies, murach's series,

And Y Daniel's the best I've read so far.

PROS: they give you problems to solve you might encounter on the job.
It's very up to date.
it has a bottom top approach, not exactly a book on computer organization.
you learn other things, as well as concepts like recirsopm
teaches javafx, javedb, using java on the web
excellent user reviews on several websites.

CONS:

it cost a lot
they teach about exceptions and throws to later on.
This book, like all the others I've read don't really get into javafx until way later.

[Liutauras Vilda]

Don't forget to practise along with the reading, otherwise that "understanding" of theory will disappear pretty quick.
Not sure about the precise balance (in %) of reading and practising, but practising should take the way more time than reading.

[Jeffrey Gutierrez]

Liutauras Vilda wrote:Don't forget to practise along with the reading, otherwise that "understanding" of theory will disappear pretty quick.
Not sure about the precise balance (in %) of reading and practising, but practising should take the way more time than reading.

can you give me some examples of practitce?

I use every new thing I learn and make a program with the new knowledge, even if the program is well... pointless

[Campbell Ritchie]

Every time you design or create code you are practising.

[Brian Tkatch]

Jeffrey Gutierrez wrote:Introduction to Java Programming, Comprehensive Version, 10th Edition - Y Daniel Liang.

I've also gone through java for dummies, murach's series,

And Y Daniel's the best I've read so far.

PROS: they give you problems to solve you might encounter on the job.
It's very up to date.
it has a bottom top approach, not exactly a book on computer organization.
you learn other things, as well as concepts like recirsopm
teaches javafx, javedb, using java on the web
excellent user reviews on several websites.

CONS:

it cost a lot
they teach about exceptions and throws to later on.
This book, like all the others I've read don't really get into javafx until way later.

Wow, that is expensive. Amazon price for the 9th edition is $134.80, 10th edition is $132.74, with about $10 saved buying it used. However, AbeBooks has the 9th edition at $24.51 shipping from India included. But the 10th edition is over $70 with shipping included.

[Brian Tkatch]

Bought it from ebay. The price actually had gone down to $13.95 total. That's $1.91 saved.

Seems to be fighting with another listing @$13.96. Indeed, i'm pretty sure that a few minutes ago the total was $13.97. I shoulda let 'em fight out penny for penny. Egad! What am i saying?! It's all for charity.

Registered and ebook bought on O'Reilly. For $18.95 and a few minutes it's all done. Thank you, everybody!

[Brian Tkatch]

Started reading Head First java in earnest but couldn't stand it. Too many jokes. Signal to noise ratio was too low and i was dreading picking up the book again. So, i took out Java: A Beginner's Guide Paperback for the week trial. Just finished Chapter 2, and Schildt is amazing. quickie examples of everything, and simple programs to practice galore. Also, he puts [] after args, not String, which is technically accurate (the variable is the array, not the type) which gives me more confidence in him.

Unfortunately, there's no discount to get print and ebook. Even Oracle Press charges $40 each (i emailed and asked.) I'll probably get the ebook tomorrow and decide if i want the print at a later date.

[Liutauras Vilda]

Brian Tkatch wrote:Also, he puts [] after args, not String, which is technically accurate (the variable is the array, not the type) which gives me more confidence in him.

It is technically speaking correct, but not conventional. And you could find more non-conventional examples in that book as (p.149):

double get_pwr() {
    return this.val;
}

It is technically correct as well (I mean method naming), but in Java it is not conventional. This looks for me more like a Python or C naming style.

Author probably wants to show the wide freedom of Java language use, so you could pick up the way you prefer to code in.
By the way, author at page 163 shows usual arrays declaration syntax and explains the advantages of it, so once you hit that page, decide yourself, which way is appropriate for you

[Brian Tkatch]

Heh. I very much dislike Java naming conventions. They are counterintuitive and ugly to me, so i have no intention of following them. Well, at least for my own personal projects. I just hope i can get help when i ask for it.

Page numbers are difficult with Amazon's reader. They use paragraph numbers or something. It's even a hassle to look at the table of contents quickly or to jump to another part of the book. And, as the page is formatted when you read it, things do not always stay in the same place. I hope there's a format other than Amazon's. I don't even like that style on my Kindle. So, i don't quite know where this mythical "page 163" is. :P

[James Swartz]

You can find good stuff for beginners here https://www.udacity.com/courses/all?technology=java
And some practice here https://www.quizful.com (java puzzles)
that's was my way to java

[Campbell Ritchie]

Welcome to the Ranch

I have heard good things about udacity.

[Greg Zobel]

I enjoyed "Java: Learning to Program With Robots." You can find it here along with many books that take different approaches. Anyone should be able to find a book that matches their learning style at this site, and they're free.

[Brayn Richard]

From above I liked Head First Java, 2nd Edition by Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates.
But you can also try Effective Java by Joshua Bloch.
Its the book which cleared me about methods specially.

[Winston Gutkowski]

Brian Tkatch wrote:Also, he puts [] after args, not String, which is technically accurate (the variable is the array, not the type) which gives me more confidence in him.

And it gives me the exact opposite because it's not accurate, technically or otherwise.

In Java, the type IS the arrray. And if you don't believe me, try:

  System.out.println(Object.class.equals(Object[].class));

Winston

[Campbell Ritchie]

Effective Java™ is an excellent book but unsuitable for beginning Java with.

[Brian Tkatch]

Winston Gutkowski wrote:

Brian Tkatch wrote:Also, he puts [] after args, not String, which is technically accurate (the variable is the array, not the type) which gives me more confidence in him.

And it gives me the exact opposite because it's not accurate, technically or otherwise.

In Java, the type IS the arrray. And if you don't believe me, try:

  System.out.println(Object.class.equals(Object[].class));

Winston

Java may have its quirks, but they prove nothing.

[Miguel Hurtado]

I the book how to program java deitel