Essential Java Fast: How to Write Object Oriented Software for the Internet

Author: John Cowell List Price: $32.95 Our Price: Click to see the latest and low price ISBN: 3540760520 Publisher: Springer Verlag (November, 1997) Edition: Paperback Sales Rank: 539,547 Average Customer Rating: 2 out of 5

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Customer Reviews

I have never seen a programming book which contained so many broken or poorly edited code examples. In fact this is the only book I've read which didn't seem to have a _single_ correct code example. Only those readers who are accomplished C/C++ programmers will be able to get them to work. Yet look what the author says in Ch 1:

"Becoming fluent in a new programming language is difficult and time-consuming. ... The best way to learn Java is to read the early chapters and to try the examples for yourself."

That's a great idea, or it would be if the examples weren't crocks.

The text was also weak in many places and poorly-edited, though not completely unengaging. Yet the author never sees fit to identify which version of the JDK he was targeting - this is an important piece of information which he is obliged to share with his readers. It would not surprise me if the book had not been edited at all. I had had a relatively high opinion of Springer Verlag before I bought this book. Now they will really have to work hard to get me to buy another.

I'm sorry I bought it. It's full of strange mistakes: the statement c += d is said to mean c = c + Delphi (I don't know where it came from but I suspect a Global Search and Replace was responsible).

Some of the code cannot possibly compile (missing, extra ;s), some is very confusing, code to produce a window titled "Java Window" has a picture of a window titled "my Window" (the name of the variable that the window is assigned to) and so on.

I assume that I have the first edition. I'd wait for the second at least.

Incidentally the book says it was prepared from camera-ready copy supplied by the author!