Beginning Programming With Java for Dummies + Website

I've recently finished 'Beginning Programming with Java for Dummies 4th Edition' from John Wiley & Sons, inc. The book was written by Dr. Barry Burd, PhD and has a very informative and intriguing feel. Dr. Burd did a wonderful job of providing information in a clear and engaging way that leaves the reader informed and hungry for more information. It is an excellent book for those who are new to programming in general, object-oriented programming, or novices who want to learn the Java programming language. The 4th Edition walks you through Java concepts from the initial setup of Eclipse IDE to the basic concepts of Java GUI development all while keeping Java 8 in mind. The book focuses on console applications primarily as it is easier to convey the basic concepts without the GUI code. However, through Internet resources referenced in the book; readers have access to GUI examples of most of the example Console programs. The bottom line is that 'Beginning Programming with Java for Dummies 4th Edition' provides a solid base for launching into the vast world of programming. Dr. Burd's writing style will keep readers engaged and learning throughout the book. He avoids the elitist and condescending vibe that I've found in some other programming language books; and, he is quick to point out that even top-tier professional programmers aren't infallible. Personally, I'm looking forward to reading his other books and absorbing all of the knowledge he has to offer.

Awesome book! I recommend for those who are absolutely new to java. I have to admit, if I didnt have prior programming experience or at least taken a programming class, some of the concepts are pretty confusing, but Barry does an awesome job at explaining everything in great detail. This book will literally take you from zero to novice if you finish reading this book cover to cover and dont skip on the examples. I recommended writing out everything and using the example projects as a reference in case something doesnt work. I don't think you'll become a java professional by reading just this book, I think this is a great book to start with and then move on to a text book or another Java book that lets you test out the knowledge you have learned. After all my research and online reviews, this book is the best for those who want to start learning java but dont want to pay $80 + dollars to start out. Most of those books are 600+ pages and some of the material might be dry and boring and thus leads to no motivation. All in all get this book if you want to learn java and if you want a book that is in "Laymans" terms but also has a technical side.

Just what I wanted -- a solid walk-through of basic Java principles to and concepts to set the stage for more advanced topics.

I hadn't done any real programming since Fortran classes in college in the '90's, but had done a fair amount of work in VBA for Excel over the years, and wanted to get some idea of what a modern language could do. Java seemed like a good place to start, and this book seemed like a good guide to get me started. Like most For Dummies books, it presents a very practical approach, introducing you to one concept at a time without unexplained jumps, and with figures and examples galore. Whenever something wasn't working, after some careful scrutiny, I discovered that I'd skipped a line or committed a typo. I finished the book and was starting to work on some experiments of my own when my hard drive crashed. When I got a new machine and tried to recreate my Eclipse environment for Java, I was stumped by errors. Unable to find answers online, I emailed the author. Why not? He'd included his email in the book, after all. To my absolute shock, less than 30 minutes later I had a reply, and a productive back-and-forth followed. So: good book, backed up by excellent support.

First, I'm a beginner. Actually, I am a former CEO of a software/finance firm - but I was CEO for the finance stuff. While I had some exposure to our code development, I was focused on the finance side of our business model (night and day) and had little time for the coding fundamentals of our business, which were very Java focused. Truly, at the time, I thought code and the folks doing it were "fungible" in a financial sense. I wish I'd had more time to spend understanding the fundamentals of code. Rather, I learned the buzz words needed for investors or clients. In short, like many finance people, I was not the value-add I thought I was, but that wasn't what investors were buying. They wanted to buy business models - they never asked more than skin deep questions about the code. Over time, I've done some in-class training and participated in online course, but I have to say that nothing has made Java so clear as this book. For many like me, who have been faking it and writing code in MS Notepad, this author's use of the Eclipse platform is a dream for the many with "so so" typing and error checking skills. To be fair - I've only completed the first 100 pages of the book, but it has filled in many of the gaps that more advance classes left out. If you are in management to executive management of a firm that uses the web for business - I recommend this book as a shortcut to the true fundamentals of what those teams of engineers are doing for you. Again, if you've had other exposure, your time invested will be very short, but your capacity to understand bids (for costly improvements) from the engineering team(s) will increase in a "hockey stick" fashion.

Simple and easy reading!

Good to learn java the easy way

The book is exactly what I expected, and it arrived on time

Fantastic book. Barry explains every concept really clearly, with really good examples, broken down into clear sections. He's also very funny! And helpful too - I posted a question on his Facebook wall and he replied very quickly. Love this book!

It's a decent book for a complete beginner but I had some Java experience from a few years ago and even with that I found it very basic. Whilst it's well written, the examples are relevant and it doesn't claim to be anything it isn't, I dropped one star as I felt some of the titbit stories the author included were a bit irrelevant. all I wanted was the hard facts. Having said that I can understand that this wasn't for me but may make the whole experience of learning Java a little more interesting for others. I did and will probably continue to keep referring back to some things covered in this book from time to time. Overall a good book to start with.