Java Application (ie no gui, applets, etc) Beginners Books?

[Markis Landis Gardner]

I am looking for a good beginners Java book that does not teach applets or
web programming. Just what I call console programming. I want to first
learn that then work my way up to GUI's and applets and web programming. I
think it is a little much to try to learn so much about Java at once. I
just want to get the basics down pat then move on, especially since I come
from a non-OO language.

I am a seasoned C programmer, so definately looking for some good OO advice
in the book.

Any advice?

Thanks,

Markis

 

[Ryan Stewart]

I am looking for a good beginners Java book that does not teach applets or
web programming. Just what I call console programming. I want to first
learn that then work my way up to GUI's and applets and web programming. I
think it is a little much to try to learn so much about Java at once. I
just want to get the basics down pat then move on, especially since I come
from a non-OO language.

I am a seasoned C programmer, so definately looking for some good OO advice
in the book.

Any advice?

Thanks,

Markis

Java 2 Primer Plus, Steven Haines & Stephen Potts

 

[Andrew Thompson]

Sorry, Mark, have few actual suggestions for you, but..

message | I am looking for a good beginners Java book that does not teach
applets or
| web programming. Just what I call console programming. I want
to first
| learn that then work my way up to GUI's and applets and web
programming. I

I feel you've made a good choice.
1) It is simpler debugging from the command line.
2) The 'drag-n-drop' GUI design IDE's that most
people scream for when they are learning Java,
don't teach you how to do things from the command
line. When something goes wrong (as it invariably does)
they have no clue how to fix it.
3) Command line classes can have a GUI put on top
later (one of the advantages of OO)

Having had my little rave, I will give
you the link to Sun's Java tutorial trails
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/java/index.html

Unfortunately a lot of Sun's examples
seem to both abuse OO to jam all
functionality of the example into a
single class, as well as have a tendency to
use examples that assume you want a GUI.

[ I think that there will be better recommendations,
but I just thought I'd suggest it in case you were
not be aware of them. ]

HTH (and all the best in your learning)

 

[Ryan Stewart]

Sorry, Mark, have few actual suggestions for you, but..

message | I am looking for a good beginners Java book that does not teach
applets or
| web programming. Just what I call console programming. I want
to first
| learn that then work my way up to GUI's and applets and web
programming. I

I feel you've made a good choice.
1) It is simpler debugging from the command line.
2) The 'drag-n-drop' GUI design IDE's that most
people scream for when they are learning Java,
don't teach you how to do things from the command
line. When something goes wrong (as it invariably does)
they have no clue how to fix it.
3) Command line classes can have a GUI put on top
later (one of the advantages of OO)

Having had my little rave, I will give
you the link to Sun's Java tutorial trails
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/java/index.html

Unfortunately a lot of Sun's examples
seem to both abuse OO to jam all
functionality of the example into a
single class, as well as have a tendency to
use examples that assume you want a GUI.

[ I think that there will be better recommendations,
but I just thought I'd suggest it in case you were
not be aware of them. ]

HTH (and all the best in your learning)

--
Andrew Thompson
* http://www.PhySci.org/ PhySci software suite
* http://www.1point1C.org/ 1.1C - Superluminal!
* http://www.AThompson.info/andrew/ personal site

Ah, and on that note, look here often as you learn and have questions,
assuming you're using the latest version:
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.1/docs/api/index.html

Or the downloadable version (which will save you a ton of time later unless
you always have perfect net connectivity):
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.1/download.html

 

[Scott Ellsworth]

I am looking for a good beginners Java book that does not teach applets or
web programming.

You will find that most books at least touch on these topics. As long
as they do not touch too deeply, I would not write off a book for having
them.

Suiting actions to words:
Just Java - Peter Van Der Linden
Core Java vol 1 and 2 - Cay Horstmann
Thinking in Java - Bruce Eckel

The last can be downloaded for free from his website, and purchased if
you found it useful.

These are what my friends have been using to learn Java, and they are
getting the OO thing pretty well. Each has liked a different subset of
these books for various reasons.

Just what I call console programming. I want to first
learn that then work my way up to GUI's and applets and web programming. I
think it is a little much to try to learn so much about Java at once. I
just want to get the basics down pat then move on, especially since I come
from a non-OO language.

A very good thought. For what it is worth, you will soak up a lot of OO
practice in the GUI sections of these books, as that is where Sun did a
bit better OO job. (IMO, I realize.)

You will find, once you learn the language, that Joshua Bloch's book
"Effective Java" will be helpful, but that comes a bit after the first
three.

Scott

 

[Ryan Stewart]

Java 2 Primer Plus, Steven Haines & Stephen Potts

Here for a sample chapter:
http://makeashorterlink.com/?C1A426FF6