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| Head First Java, 2nd Edition | 
 enlarge | Authors: Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates
Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Category: Book
List Price: $44.95 (105.82 RON)
Buy New: $29.67 (69.85 RON)
You Save: $15.28 (35.97 RON) (34%)
Avg. Customer Rating:  213 reviews
Sales Rank: 3968
Format: Illustrated
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 720
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.9
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 7.9 x 1.4
ISBN: 0596009208
Dewey Decimal Number: 005.133
EAN: 9780596009205
ASIN: 0596009208
Publication Date: February 9, 2005
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 look before you buy October 30, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Although I have granted this book 4 stars -- a pretty favorable rating -- mine is another one of those dissenting opinions you will see in the current set of reviews.
I have given 4 stars because I think the Head First folks' aims are laudable; however (and this is a big however), for me the approach simply doesn't work, and I feel as though if I'd spent a little time with the book prior to ordering it I would have given it a miss.
My point here is that since it is the approach that is the real selling point here, it's worth your while trying to figure out whether the approach works for you or (as it did in my case) gives you a headache, and makes you wish for more traditional, meaning-bearing prose.
The harsh version of what I am fumbling towards saying here is that, for me, this book is the triumph of widgets. I recall a Perl 5 book from some years back that I used and liked ... but I recall detractors (the author, a really fine and well-known writer on Perl, included) saying that the book had been near-ruined with text widgets and icons and other such stuff. The Head First books, while not ALL widgets, tilt the scale massively in favor of the visual, tricky, goofy, funny [insert more terms here] approach, in a self-proclaimed effort to entertain you into learning.
There is a part of me that can grok that and applaud this, but when it comes down to brass tacks, it just doesn't work for me. And when I say "doesn't work," I am not even considering the question of whether the content is reasonably complete (other reviewers have pointed out that things may get dropped or glided over in th is process, with confusing results for learners). No, I mean "doesn't work," in the sense that I am not sure what to do with it. As an example, there are several "Code Magnet" sections in this book. The conceit is simple: mix and match these jumbled code fragments, as if they were "magnetic poetry" on a refrigerator, so that together they form a program that outputs the desired stuff.
This is a cute, attractive idea that a majority of readers can probably relate to -- but what is one supposed to do with a paper page of "code magnets." Is the reader supposed to tear the page out? type all the code in and mix it around? It doesn't appear to be in the downloadable code for the book ... OH, well it seems O'Reilly sells the code magnets, for $19.95 / set. Hmm.
Honestly, I didn't know that last fact until I started this review. I'm not trying to be awfully snarky here, but I think the whole thing would work better as an interactive CD-ROM. It's hard for the activities to reach out and grab you (crossword puzzles work okay, I guess, but their pedagogic value is pretty small) when they're confined to paper.
In short, try this thing first. If you like it, by all means go for it. I didn't like it, and I have reservations about whether it really works in its current form.
 Excellent Book!! September 17, 2008
Pretty good book for those whom Programming is difficult to understand. You will be doing an excellent purchase.
Great Book September 15, 2008
I had to get this book for an Intro Java class I'm taking. The "teacher" is basically reading the book as part of his lessons. I've learned more from this book than I have from the "teacher". This book has a unique approach to teaching programming, and so far I think it's working. Other programming books I have read, are really dry and boring, this book is the opposite.
 Not up to date with Java 6.0! September 6, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a good beginners' book. It is, however, 3 years old and does not cover the latest version of Java, 6.0. According the publisher, O'Reilly Media, the authors consider Java 6.0 to be similar to version 5.0 and thus not worth a new edition. The next edition is scheduled for 2010, when Java 7.0 comes out. On the other hand, the authors did not really cover all the new 5.0 features in this second edition. In particular, enum is relegated to the appendix! I am not sure how much update one can realistically expect in the 3rd edition.
Good basic text September 2, 2008
As a computer science teacher I am always on the lookout for introductory texts that make Java less intimidating. Head First Java certainly fills the bill with a good mix of humor and content. My only objection (and it is very slight) is that it tends to get a bit "thick" in sections -- nothing a final edit couldn't easily fix.
On the whole, however, a very good job.
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