5 comments about The Definitive Guide to SWT and JFACE.

1. This is overall an excellent introduction to SWT and JFace. After working with the technology for over 2 years I can say that it would have been a great help to have this book back then. The book's layout was well thought out. My only wish is that they put out a follow up book covering some of the more advanced topics like Events, Embedding Swing components, Packaging and Distributing SWT/JFace applications (including using JWS), using Native code. Plus, even though is Java covering some of the things that can be done with ActiveX controls would be a plus.



2. Much of the beginning chapters in SWT are simply API listings - WORTHLESS! I've got those online...don't need them in a book, especially since they are not as complete as the JavaDocs. Otherwise, not bad. I'm looking for better...



3. Having being treated to a text called Windows Forms Programming for C# by Chris Sells in late 2004, and considering that's pretty much the closest book in spirit in terms of covering a high-level Windowing API and is relatively well-known, I'll go right ahead and use that as a metric:
   
   I am surprised to find no coverage of SWT and Java 1.5's threading abilities. I wanted to see a coverage of how to handle long-running worker threads that must call delegates that run on the UI-thread (like a web services caller threaad telling the gui-thread to update the progress update bar to show 75% completed). I wanted to see coverage on how to send events information back and forth between GUI thread and the worker threads. It's one of my favorite chapter in Sells' book because without it it is very difficult to write a responsive app. This is criticial in this day and age with the decent amount of web services and distributed computing being used in Intranets and Internets. If Harris and Warner are willing to write an extra chapter on this very topic, I would be greatly in their debt. We are all waiting for this chapter! I guess some of you will say, wait for Doug Lea's next book, but I trust Harris/Warner to get to the point faster and better--and stay on topic (I am not sure if Doug Lea would bother with SWT). I am hoping there's an answer to this, because I need to use this asap.
   
   There are some other surprises I find distasteful: data access and binding of data recordsets to grids are no where to be found.
   
   These are the main reasons why this book gets a four star. Because people like me are spoiled.
   
   Anyway, back to the book review:
   
   Real-world cross-platform development is a tough subject. If you ask most people, they'll relunctantly say the best way to go about it is to write platform neutral c++ model/controller code and write the view code in Qt or Gtk/MFC or WinForms/Carbon or Cocoa. Nasty.
   
   It goes without saying most small development shops simply can't budget serious competence in one, let alone three major GUI frameworks. This is not counting all the trouble you have to go through to evaluate count-less so-so [for one reason or another] libraries (wxWidget, MainWin, Swing, OpenStep API, Flash, Mozilla) just to arrive at the point where you can clearly say aha, I really want MFC/Carbon/Qt after all.
   [And let's not even get into strictly system programming libraries, for which there are several dozens on the sourceforge galaxy alone.]. So for light work, where you aren't trying to please 500 million users right away (Internet Explorer, Outlook Express) or even 200,000--you really want something like Java 1.5+SWT:
   
   > One productive language.
   
   > One well-supported effort to map a common gui api to all major windowing systems while preserving native looks.
   
   > A quick build that produces three executables. One for RedHat Linux. One for Mac OS X. One for Windows NT 5+.
   
   Which is why I am really happy Sun and IBM is trying so hard to make this option happen. I build small softwares for a relatively small audience. With IBM's contribution of SWT, all we need now is a good text that cover it thoroughly--from the perspective of developers--not the library writers. The Definitive Guide to SWT and JFace gives you just that.
   
   At times, I can see how some of the other reviewers might say, "It's just table listings rehashing documentations", and if you compare this book to Chris Sells' book you may wonder the same thing--but I think it's still an excellent try and the authors add something to the docs. I'll point out a few examples:
   
   * In the "Selecting Files for Open and Save" they went out of their way to write the correct version of how to handle over-writing an existing file. Hey, just imagine if the authors said nothing... ;-)
   
   * Throughout the book they document what the behavior will be if you did something undocumented: they'll mention when you shouldn't subclass SWT; they post questions to the eclipse group to clarify some of the bad decisions that had to be made and they tell us what we should do about it.
   
   * They explore some patterns they expect real world programmers will likely try (like Decorations, which is like a half-implementation of MDI), and warn you ahead of time what you can expect to find or even whether you should use it.
   
   The best part about them adding a bit of details is that you'll likely dig through the MSDN with Sell's book (which is not a bad thing), but you'll probably have everything at your finger-tips with Harris/Warner--so is it a bit wordy? Is it too referency? Maybe--see for yourself. :-)
   
   This is a great book, and I wouldn't hesitate recommending it. It's a key to a world of cheaper better cross-platform development--walk--no run to your bookstore and get it!



4. if you are looking for something to walk you through widget by widget..holding your hand this is your book . Excellent reference and very clear structure.
   Good to have by your desk when you need to look up something and dont like reading javadocs from the source ...



5. This book introduces SWT and JFace in details and with good example codes, which helps me doing my own projects greatly. I have "Swt JFace In Action" book too, which is not as useful.

5 comments about Java, Java, Java, Object-Oriented Problem Solving (3rd Edition).

1. I think this a text for computer science students, so it explains a lot of basics. It is for those who want to understand "object-oriented" programming. If you are already familiar with "structured" programming, then buy this book just to understand what object orientation is. What I got most out of it is an extremely clear concept of Object Oriented design and programming.



2. This is a review of the 3RD EDITION, published December 2005.
   
   The book starts from scratch. You do not have to know anything about Java. What Morelli and Walde offer is an education that emphasises an object oriented programming mentality, from the very start. The text shows how Java enforces a strict OO coding. Unlike C++, for example, which was bolted onto C as a superset, and accordingly has to accept (endure would be a better word) procedural C code as valid. So thoroughly do the authors want you to learn OO programming that there is no mention of the alternative of procedural programming in other languages! They don't want to confuse the reader, who is probably assumed to be new to programming in general, and not just Java.
   
   Now the book also holds true to its claim in the title of "Problem Solving". It causes the book to be relatively weak in explaining how to write a user interface with Java widgets. Yes, there is a couple of chapters on this. But the topic is deprecated.
   
   The book's clear strength is in the majority of its space being devoted to tackling various problems. Chosen so that you don't need a fancy UI over them. The problems can be handled as pure computations, with perhaps a minimal I/O and stdout user interface. Of course, the problems were also chosen so that the authors could demonstrate solutions that take advantage of OO design.
   
   An important extra benefit is that you get acquainted with the various Java collection classes. These come with the standard Java distribution. They implement key ideas in computer science, like lists, queues, stacks, arrays and hash tables. Professional Java programmers use these extensively. They have a lot of functionality, that is stable and well-tested by Sun itself. These classes address both the OO and problem solving themes of the book. Being Java classes, they are inherently objects to be used in an OO manner. But the sheer utility of these for handling many problems is also a good education for you.



3. Most, if not all, of the errors pointed out in other reviews are from earlier editions of the book. I've found no errors in the Third Edition (so far). So don't let those dissuade you from buying this book. :)



4. I needed this book for a Java class, and it was very good. Easy to follow examples, and clearly written. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn Java.



5. It is very clear that the authors of this book have taught the subject many times and have shared their sucessful approaches and experiences with us via the book. The concepts build nicely throughout the book and the examples build in complexity as well. I particularly apreciated the optional sections covering graphical user interfaces in the early chapters. The early introduction of Object Orientation is a plus as well. Because the book provides a great deal of detail, it is an excellent compliment to lectures and assignments in a beginning Java course.

2 comments about Java 5 Illuminated: An Active Learning Approach (Book & CD-ROM).

1. The book is an excellent introduction to Java 5. This book does a very good job at teaching Object-Oriented Programming in an easy to understand progressive manner. All examples in this book are very instructional, and yes, the examples do compile. Kudos to the authors, Herve and Julie.
   
   As an experienced Java programmer, I found this Java resource very useful in emphasizing my software engineeering practices and helping me to focus on designing and writing correct, maintainable java programs.
   
   Chapter 4 detailing Applets and Graphics was very informative for me detailing methods for creating graphical output and drawing shapes and text.
   
   In Summary, this resource is a must have for any Java Engineer's technical library.



2. The school I've been teaching CS I and CS II at for the last five years used this text for both classes recently. Some members of my department criticized it (fairly, I think) for being somewhat weak on OOP (user-defined classes don't come until Chapter 7 and even after that their use is not pervasive in the examples) and deficient in OOD. We were therefore switched to another text. I now find myself sorely missing the strengths of Java 5 Illuminated: the exercises. Each chapter has a _ton_ of exercies, many of the drill type (what's the output of this, what line completes that, etc) that are tedious to construct but that weaker students need in order to build confidence with syntax. The authors write most of the exercises without referring back to the examples they've used earlier in the chapter, which is a big plus for me since I usually write my own examples. Each chapter is written clearly if a bit simplistically. Until I find what I consider to be a 5-star text I would be happy to use Java 5 Illuminated again since the missing pieces in it are easier for me to make up for than the missing pieces in other texts.

No comments about A Practical Guide to Data Structures and Algorithms using Java (Applied Algorithms and Data Structures).

5 comments about Introduction to Interactive Programming on the Internet: Using HTML and JavaScript.

1. Before reading this book I had no idea how to use the internet, let alone design a web page. However, this book is written on a level that even the most computer illiterate person, such as my self, could follow and understand. Now I can develop interactive web pages that almost look professional. I strongly recomend this book to any one how wants to learn internet programming.



2. I haven't read the book, but I find it suspious that every review posted so far was outrageously positive, and posted within an 8 day period. In addition, most of them are anonymous. Perhaps the Publisher or Author is trying to boost sales with duplicate reviews. Buyer Beware.



3. if u already know something about setting up web pages using html and u wish to add some interactive features to yr web pages,this will be a very good book to start with.This book contains very clear and simple explantions for javascripts.Many concepts are explained using simple yet relevant analogies....if u are hardworking enough u can learn good javascripts in one or two weeks using this book......definitely value for money.



4. Can anyone tell me what the website is for this book's lessons. It references it many times but I cant seem to find out where it is actually "Stated" in the book.

   Thanks in advance




5. This is the best book I have found for Freshman/Sophomore-level HTML and JavaScript. I use it with PERL and CGI for the World Wide Web (2nd Edition) by Elizabeth Castro for a complete Sophomore course in designing Commercial-Quality websites with server-side processing. Hint: Be sure to get the Second Printing (First Edition), as there are a lot of typos in the HTML section of the First Printing. The author has an excellent support website at cknuckles.com, which augments some of the problems and provides solutions to some of the exercises.

5 comments about Mastering JavaServer Faces (Java).

1. The problem is that the book has a lot of mistakes and don't explain some mechanism like ValueBinding. The book use hibernate to persist data to database and this can be a problem to people who don't know this technology, in my opinion they should have used plain JDBC technology, it would be much easier to the readers.



2. Good outline of JavaServer Faces but not enough examples. Too much theory not enough practical examples. It is not a complete reference so you need other books or sources to get answers on specific functions and uses of JavaServer Faces.



3. This book reads very well. Explains most things very clearly but the examples are missing what to put into the faces-config.xml file. Ch. 5, Ch 6, ... have some nice examples and show you what goes in the jsp files but as you add to these jsp files you need to make the necessary adjustments to the faces-config.xml file too. You have to download the source to see the contents of the faces-config.xml file.
   
   As a beginner, I found this very frustrating and out searching the net for more tutorials that show how to make adjustments to the faces-config.xml and the JSP file.
   
   Other than this issue, the book is good the learning about the JSP/JSF contents.
   
   It is just disappointing that this book was so close, if it had covered the faces-config.xml I would have given it 5 stars.



4. If you are like me, you don't have the time to read about the philosophy behind the design of JSF or how it's more like swing than struts. Why can't the authors of such books start with a hello world example. Most experienced programmers can figure out the basics of JSF just by looking at the hello world example and relating it to technologies they've already used(struts, perhaps?). Most authors can't resist the temptation to impress us with the awesome power of the new framework especially when they haven't introduced the basic examples? Why have a whole chapter explaining the intricacies of faces-config.xml before you really introduce a simple application? I got more out of http://www.jsftutorials.net than the first few chapters of this book. Get eclipse wtp, install the jsf plugin and go through the tutorial.



5. If you are new to JSF, this is not the first place to go searching-this book clearly does not use the hello world (learning) pattern to introduce you to this technology. You could get frustrated with the first 3 chapters especially if you do not have any swing or struts knowledge.That said, this book is without any doubt rich in content.If you already have had hands on experience in JSF and are intending to go a mile further, following the writers wouldn't be difficult.The first few chapters are however more explanatory than example oriented.

5 comments about Professional Java Tools for Extreme Programming: Ant, XDoclet, JUnit, Cactus, and Maven (Programmer to Programmer).

1. Seriously, I can't find any other book right now that lays Maven out in such an easy to approach way. All the material online is reference based entirely and my fingers are practically bleeding from digging through google every five seconds. If you've never setup Maven before, buy this book while you still have your hair.



2. I ordered this book based on the title and the preview content here on Amazon (I couldn't find it at the B&N near my work). I was very pleasantly surprised at the practical, nuts-and-bolts approach that the authors took to XP and the tools in this book. I was also extremely pleased at how well the authors showed the integration of these tools into a sophisticated and professional development environment. This is not easy, especially when working with a wide range of tools which includes
   * CVS
   * Ant
   * XDoclet
   * JUnit
   * JUnitPerf
   * Bugzilla
   * JMeter
   * Cactus
   * jcoverage
   * Swing testing tools like Jemmy
   * Maven
   * Anthill
   
   And even though all these tools are O.S., some projects are very territorial (eg they consider other tools to be the competition) so just reading the docs will not always help you choose the right tool for the right job or learn how to use the tools together.
   
   The code I downloaded from the Wrox site was a little rough (some missing files), but the version I downloaded last week was *much* better and has solved all the earlier problems I was having. I'm glad the authors were responsive and willing to release fixes. Great stuff!



3. I bought this book hoping for a quick jumpstart to getting a simple xdoclet/struts app up and running.
   
   The example code from the "Building Struts Apps with Ant and XDoclet" is so bad, it's a disgrace. I spent more time figuring out why their code wasn't even close to working, than I would have if I had just skipped their book altogether. It couldn't work, it never worked, and it shouldn't have been published.



4. I am an experienced Java developer and new to the J2EE field.
   I bought this book to learn how to use the open-source tools with the XP attitude. Mostly for the XDoclet and JUnit.
   Well, the examples are not so bad.
   There are SO MANY ERRORS *in the code itself*. It happens, I know.
   So I entered the web site to check for more information. Nothing !!
   No errata and the book's forum is not active AT ALL.
   I downloaded the source code for the examples. Half of the book's examples is not there. The web site (and the forum) won't mention anything about it.
   The other half is filled with errors.
   
   This is not a professional book !
   I did learn something from it. A little bit XDoclet and which tools I should learn and know. But that's all.
   
   WROX publication lost a customer. I won't buy any books they publish.



5. A majority of the content are out of date now. A typical example is the chapter for Maven that is almost useless. Instead of reading this book, I'd rather go Google.

No comments about Dynamic Web Application Development using XML and Java.

5 comments about Enterprise J2ME: Developing Mobile Java Applications.

1. This is a very good book for those who need a very solid start on J2ME for serious development.
   All relevant topics and technologies related to the usage of Mobile J2ME developemnt are well covered.



2. This title is for the schooled j2me coder. The material is rather advanced, and the topics covered involve programming you will only really see on the corporate level. If you have just got that phone from xxxxx- service provider, don't start here if you want to write a quick app or game. Instead, go to J2ME The Complete Reference from Osborne/McGraw Hill- this will prove more beneficial. I was able to gain knowledge of what my future held with Java Micro if I chose the path, and this book put everything into perspective. Thanks IBM ;)
   Hope this helps



3. I am an experienced Java programmer. This book together with the NetBeans IDE allowed me to come up with a J2ME application in less than a week. The examples in the book is a great resource for learning to write J2ME applications. I learn best when I'm coding. In my case, I used the source from the PeekAndPick RSS Reader to come up with my J2ME text reader. The program has been heavily modified since, but the book provided sample code that was a great starting point for my learning.



4. The book is very indepth and the author really knows what he is talking about. I would not say it is a beginner's book by any stretch.



5. book in great condition
   got delivered very quickly.

5 comments about Data Structures and Other Objects Using Java (3rd Edition).

1. I read a lot of confusing books by java experts that sometimes forget to go back to the simple basics when teaching simple minded readers. However, this book is for continuing readers of java who had some, but not expert training, experience in writing programs. What I liked most of this book is how he gives pointers on what to look out for while programming, and provides alternate solutions that would be better off in the long run than what general programmers tend to come up with. I also liked how he distinguished between specification and implementation to improve group/team environments (especially for large programs). His specifications before each class gave me a very intuitive idea of what is being asked rather than being confused with all that code. Once I got the general idea, I was able to under the code more. By following the convention that I described about the way he helps the readers, data structures became very clear to understand, especially when it comes to implementing such structures in Java. Its better to read this book slowly one chapter at a time than to jump into the middle, if you want to get a thorough established view of what is going on.



2. Despite having a professor who criticized Main's approach to almost every topic (seemingly in a bid to sell more of her own book), I enjoyed this book and got much use out of it. Other reviewers here claim the example code was buggy: I rarely type in and compile sample code - I never did for this book - so I cannot comment on any errors. However, the author's website has code for almost every class in the book. I highly encourage you to check it out.

   I enjoyed his discussion of the topics; he clearly explained the fundamental ideas of the topics covered in the book. One does not need to have example code to write a linked list class if one reads his clear descriptions of it. Same goes for most ideas in the book.

   The weak point I thought was sorting, and this was more of a weakness of my own than the author's. Two entire chapters are devoted to searching and sorting, but I just wasn't very interested in it. However, it is a useful concept, and you get much analysis of a few common searching & sorting routines.

   The best strategy to use this book is simply to read it straight through. Only quickly scan his code, to get an idea of one way to implement an idea. Read his explanations a few times until you understand the ideas and can state them in your own words. You don't need to be able to memorize Java-specific implementations of ideas from this book. You should, instead, be able to clearly explain in English the abstract ideas that are taught in this text. Recommended both for class and for learning on your own.




3. The book is not very useful. The author jumps between Java versions but never covers all of the new features Java 5.0 has to offer.



4. For the student seeking to learn data structures, this book certainly covers the basics (sorts, trees, graphs, recursive elements, stacks, queues) well. While some introductory Java is enforced, it assumes a general background in basic Java programming.



5. I am using this book for a introductory course in Data Structures. It wastes far too many pages on specifications of ADT's. There are pages upon pages of data structure specifications, and very little on showing how they can be used in a real program. There are much better books out there. I like Data structures & algorithms by Robert Lafore. Lafore gives example programs that use the data structure being taught. To me, the specifications are utterly useless. I had to buy a supplemental book to finish my course, as my professor was bad, too. Look elsewhere, there are better books.