Path: csiph.com!news.swapon.de!eternal-september.org!feeder.eternal-september.org!mx02.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Martin Gregorie Newsgroups: comp.lang.java.programmer Subject: Re: Beginner Date: Thu, 3 Sep 2015 18:50:52 +0000 (UTC) Organization: A noiseless patient Spider Lines: 50 Message-ID: References: <33e782a9-792d-44f1-ab5f-4cdc2a7b8174@googlegroups.com> <7aoguatpl74jhjjh3ba06s6tgc6sb0o55u@4ax.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Injection-Date: Thu, 3 Sep 2015 18:50:52 +0000 (UTC) Injection-Info: mx02.eternal-september.org; posting-host="e5160e2be48f1ea550cf61512446f525"; logging-data="23009"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX1/unUrNQPQ1sM2nLNzoH+3bO620hiFVt78=" User-Agent: Pan/0.139 (Sexual Chocolate; GIT bf56508 git://git.gnome.org/pan2) Cancel-Lock: sha1:2Y75Lkh/xsOg5/ZQzW8p63nZw/g= Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.java.programmer:32500 On Fri, 04 Sep 2015 01:16:48 +1000, Gordon Levi wrote: > Martin Gregorie wrote: > >>On Mon, 31 Aug 2015 05:39:12 -0700, arya.neelan wrote: >> >>> Am a beginner in java programming and would like to know about books >>> that can teach the basics of java. Keep in mind i know nothing about >>> java >> >>I taught myself Java with Ivor Horton's "Beginning Java". Its reasonably >>well written, covered all the topics I needed and provided decent >>example code and exercises. About the worst you can say is that the >>latest edition seems to be for Java 7. >> >>It may be relevant to this recommendation that I'd been writing C for at >>least 10 years when I picked up Java. > > I can't recommend a particular book but I would strongly advise the OP > to take note of that last sentence. The text books I have consulted > waste space by telling me how Java differs from, or is similar to, C[++] > although I have carefully avoided anything later than K&R C. > > If you don't know C++ don't adopt a Java text book that mentions it. > There's no reason for a book that teaches Java to mention any other programming language. Ever. I only mentioned that I already had quite extensive C experience to show that I already had a programming background which might unintentionally bias my view of what is or is not a suitable book to learn Java from. The Horton book doesn't mention C, C++ or any other programming language. Its introduction starts by summarising the Java runtime and compilation systems followed by a language-free introduction to objects, classes and packages, the general structure of a Java program and the standard class library. Then it introduces Java from first principles. In this its structure is quite similar to "The C Programming Language" by Kernighan & Richie - IMO one of the best 'how to program in XXXX' books ever written. The only thing it doesn't mention, and probably should, is javadocs. IMO a short chapter giving an intro to javadocs and hints on how to use them effectively would be useful. -- martin@ | Martin Gregorie gregorie. | Essex, UK org |