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Java Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Second Edition
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by John P Flynt
Sales Rank: 276412
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Discount: 34 %
$14.80
At Amazon
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Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Course Technology PTR; 2 edition June 16, 2006
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1598632752
ISBN-13: 978-1598632750
Product Dimensions:
8.9 x 7.4 x 1.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
Book Description
Java Programming for the Absolute Beginner provides you with an introduction to Java that allows you to learn the fundamentals of object-oriented programming while becoming acquainted with many of the core features of Java. This book starts with the assumption that you have not previously written a computer program. It then walks you through the creation of a variety of games and applications. After you have your footing with the basics, you learn to develop your own systems of classes, and by the end of the book, you are working with many of Java's Graphical User Interface (GUI) features and developing a desktop Windows application. This book provides a solid introduction for anyone desiring a relaxed, fully guided tour of the fundamentals of Java, programming, and the object-oriented approach to application development.
About The Author
John P. Flynt, Ph.D., works in the software development industry, has taught at colleges and universities, and has authored courses and curricula for several college level game development programs. His academic background includes work in information technology, the social sciences, and the humanities. Among his previous books are In the Mind of a Game, Perl Power!, UnrealScript Game Programming All in One, Simulation and Event Modeling for Game Developers (with co-author Ben Vinson), Beginning Pre-Calculus for Game Developers, Java Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Beginning Math Concepts for Game Developers, and Software Engineering for Game Developers. Among other engagements, he has been a speaker at game and educational conferences in San Antonio, LA, Atlanta, Austin, West Lafayette, and the 2004 Xtreme Game Developers Expo in Mountain View, CA. He has worked as a consultant on several curriculum development initiatives involving some of the largest proprietary colleges in the US and has taught literature, political science, computer science, and game development. He has been contracted by DeVry University as a game course developer, and DeVry has adopted Software Engineering for Game Developers for its national curriculum. John lives in the foothills near Boulder, Colorado.
Customer Reviews & Comments
When this book says it is aimed at the absolute beginner it means beginner to programming rather than a programmer with no experience of Java. The book's format of making the topic interesting by gradually building up examples that are games is a good concept but the book does not execute the concept very well. In practice the book launches into Java and programming in too complex a fashion for the total beginner, there are lots of abbreviations (often not explained) and it discusses terms and concepts that are not explained until a much later and do not need to be introduced this early. It seems odd to be using terms like how many bits a data type has without explaining the term, particularly considering the audience of this book. References to hex and octal are not explained, and as you go into chapter 3 the book covers methods of the random and math class before covering how to use "if" and even what classes are. The flow and structure of this book feels very awkward, covering try/catch and the basics of exception handling very early in the book before the total novice even knows WHAT you are trying to catch and why. The general jokey examples such as snippets of song lyrics and how to add comments around them, or a fortune teller routine demonstrating random numbers that print text such as "You will talk to someone who has bad breath" seem aimed more at attracting kids that want to write simple games on their home computers rather than someone who wants to learn Java and computer programming for professional reasons. If you are serious about learning Java, try the latest editions of either "Head First Java" or "Core Java" and skip this book. If you have never programmed at all, first try "Sams Teach Yourself Beginning Programming in 24 Hours". The Sam's Teach Yourself series can be rather hit-or-miss, but that particular book is definitely a hit. Since Amazon omits the table of contents I show that next: 1. Getting Started 2. Variables, Data Types, and Simple I/O 3. The Fortune Teller: Random Numbers, Conditionals, and Arrays 4. The Number Guesser: Using Loops and Exception Handling 5. Blackjack: Object Oriented Programming 6. Making Your Life Easier: The java.util Package and Generics 7. Learning to Read and Write: The java.io Package 8. Creating a GUI Using the Abstract Windowing Toolkit 9. Advanced GUI, Layout Managers, and Event Handling 10. Writing Applets 11. Rendering 2D Graphics 12. Animation, Sounds, and Threads 13. Putting it All Together: The Block Game
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Java Programming for the Absolute Beginner, Second Edition
Discount: 34 %
Available from Amazon
Price: $14.80
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