need Java book for a C# / C C++ proficient programmer?

[giddy]

hi,

I've never cared for Java before but now i feel like learning it. I'm
an MCP and a pretty experienced programmer. Also, i plan to take the
SCJP and maybe the SCMAD exams.

Is there a java book out that is for a programmer?? I already have a
copy of Hebert S. java reference, that would be my last option. Also,
i would want the books to somewhat cover the exams I plan to do.

Thanks so much
Gideon

 

[Roedy Green]

Is there a java book out that is for a programmer?? I already have a
copy of Hebert S. java reference, that would be my last option. Also,
i would want the books to somewhat cover the exams I plan to do.

Java itself is pretty simple. Even the most incompetent book will do.
It is all the libraries that require a boost. You might consider a
sampling of O'Reilly books on selected topics. These tend to have less
fluff and go deeper than average.

For some recommendations on general Java books see
http://mindprod.com/jgloss/gettingstarted.html

For particular topics, search google with

[site:mindprod.com recommend book on Java Cryptography]

 

[RMZ]

hi,

I've never cared for Java before but now i feel like learning it. I'm
an MCP and a pretty experienced programmer. Also, i plan to take the
SCJP and maybe the SCMAD exams.

Is there a java book out that is for a programmer?? I already have a
copy of Hebert S. java reference, that would be my last option. Also,
i would want the books to somewhat cover the exams I plan to do.

Thanks so much
Gideon

I also recently started down the Java path just to broaden my skill
set. If you're coming from Visual Studio.NET I highly recommend taking
a look at Sun's open source IDE NetBeans 6.1, it has many of the
comfort features you've come to expect from an IDE. Eclipse is another
solid choice.

I'm also looking for book recommendations. I have an old copy of Ivor
Horton's Beginning Java which I was able to skim through and find the
Java counterpart to many common things in C#, but I need something
more advanced and focused on desktop application development with Java
JDK 6

 

[giddy]

thanks so much rossum and Roedy.

yea, i figured its just going to be learning the classes just like the
FCL in .NET. Also, I've done a little Java, i know some basic java
syntax already. Mindprod seems like a perfect thing.

Yea i'm a lot like your RMZ, i've done my MCP in C#&VS2k5 and I'm
pretty good and far as developing and applying OO is concerned, but i
want to get into mobile development later on so does anyone know any
books on those lines.

Thanks so much
Gideon

 

[Neil Coffey]

I've never cared for Java before but now i feel like learning it. I'm
an MCP and a pretty experienced programmer. Also, i plan to take the
SCJP and maybe the SCMAD exams.

Is there a java book out that is for a programmer??

I seem to recall that when I started learning Java, I essentially went
from Java in a Nutshell. I was already proficient in C (less so C++)
and found the level of the introductory few chapters about right.
The accompanying "Learning Java" book is also very good.

In those days, JIAN covered the AWT classes ("the" user interface
library at the time) as well. Unfortunately, you'll need another book
or two nowadays to cover user interfaces. (Can someone tell me: does
Learning Java still cover those?)

Since then I've had to refresh my C++ memory with Budd, "C++ for Java
Programmers", and it occurred to me that the book might work 'the other
way round' for C++ programmers learning Java.

For the Programmer exam, the Nutshell book will basically cover all
the material, but you might not realise it covers it, if you see what
I mean. The exam tends to get pre-occupied with some of the 'finicky'
cases that in normal textbooks constitute a single line or footnote
(e.g. "floating point literals are doubles, not floats, unless otherwise
specified") and which in the real world are just enforced by the IDE.
Having a specific book will bring these kinds of things to your
attention. (I took mine pre-1.4, and it may be that by now they've had
to change focus slightly to cover some of the new libraries.)

Neil

 

[Neil Coffey]

Having a specific book will bring these kinds of things to your
attention.

Sorry... so I forgot the important bit. I personally used Sierra
and Bates, and found it to be very helpful -- especially the
bullet point summaries at the ends of the chapters.

Neil

 

[Mark Space]

In those days, JIAN covered the AWT classes ("the" user interface
library at the time) as well. Unfortunately, you'll need another book
or two nowadays to cover user interfaces. (Can someone tell me: does
Learning Java still cover those?)

Yes, it does. In fact, the latest edition of Learning Java (3rd ed.,
iirc) ignores AWT except for a historical discussion of it's relation to
Swing, then plunges into Swing for at least three full chapters.
Learning Java also has one of the better explanations of generics that
I've seen.

I normally recommend Learning Java first when these threads come up, but
Roedy had already posted a link to his getting started page, which does
list LJ. I will say that I don't care for the Head First Java book (too
remedial, only good if you don't really know how to program yet) and the
Deitel & Deitel books I find just too disorganized to be helpful (they
feel like they were written by a committee of undergrads, then pasted
end-to-end to form a "book.") Learning Java is far superior to both for
most purposes.

Learning Java has the very basics (this is the syntax for a "for" loop,
this is the syntax for a "while" loop) but it also covers enough of the
API (like Swing) that LJ makes a good reference for a while after one is
done learning. Many examples are practical too, showing a good way to
do things, not just obvious stuff like how to call the default constructor.

Besides Learning Java, I recommend the Javapassion website. Sang Shin
runs the Javapassion site and is a Sun researcher. He holds regular
online classes through his website for free, and they'd be a bargain
even for 100's of dollars.

<http://javapassion.com/>