2 comments about Black Hat Physical Device Security: Exploiting Hardware and Software.

1. There are many misconceptions about security and the quality of products in the world. This book offers a larger perspective on the details of why those misconceptions exist. We must often dig deep to find these flaws and sometimes review explicitly technical processes. At the same time, surrounding these technical details are demonstrated concepts of trust and assumption that have plagued products in the past, present, and surely in the future. Some texts may demonstrate a problem and a precise solution to that problem. This book offers the understanding of how and also why. It takes the reader from looking at any product, software or hardware, and integrates perspectives specific to trust and reliance upon technologies, which, by design, were never intended to supply a secure infrastructure. You will also see the reasons why these technologies fail; trust and assumption.
   
   Recent intrusions into network and wireless infrastructures are just mere examples of products; however functional they may be, that, in general, lack any quality assurance specific to the types of attacks that are reviewed within this book.



2. As an author, I understand the difficulty of writing a good book and the sting of a poor review. I'm reluctant to do so, but here I feel I have no choice. This book is simply very poorly done.
   
   I don't know quite what the author was hoping to achieve, but I think it's somewhere along the lines of the philosophy behind security. Drew fails to deliver, instead we get rambling text, bad anecdotes, poor writing, and no focus. When we finally do get to some technical material, it's poorly presented (eg the crypto code in Chapter 3).
   
   Errors are also rife throughout the text. For example, in chapter 3 the author attempts to describe connection attributes to enforce for a connection. One of these is the MAC address of a host 2 hops away. Anyone with any understanding of TCP/IP networking would know that if a host is 2 hops away, then the MAC address belongs to your router. The attack Drew describes isn't going to see the router change out from under the system.
   
   While there's a lot of terms thrown around, there aren't any useful concepts really taught or well presented. I don't think anyone will learn much of anything from this book. The title of the book suggests that we'll be hitting hardware, too, but it's not until the last third of the book that this is introduced, and just as poorly as key concepts in software security (defense, attacks, etc), and only for one chapter.
   
   I just don't have anything positive to say about this book, and for that I truly apologize to the author (and as a fellow author). This isn't personal (I don't know Drew, I believe, nor do I harbor any malice towards him or anyone he knows), it's just not a very good product. If you're looking for a comprehensive overview of infosec, look at something like Bishop's tome "Introduction to Computer Security".

5 comments about Component Development for the Java(TM) Platform (DevelopMentor Series).

1. I bought this book for my department (well, my company bought it - I ordered it ;) ) to help us with the deployment problems we'd been having. These were normal issues, of making sure all files are in the right place, that environment variables were set correctly, etc. We always solved them, but it usually took a whole day to install something and make sure it was all working correctly. Enter Mr. Halloway's book.

   While most Java books tell you how to write "this" or make an algorithm to do "that", Mr. Halloway's book tells you how to take almost no extra time and make those programs garaunteed to work in any installation environment. It's more than just changing your mindset, the book gives you very clear examples of how to make your application easily deployed and dynamic. For example, in chapter 2 you learn how to easily create an application that can continue running and update its classes to your new version.

   The best section in the book, I think, is the section on ClassLoaders - which I garauntee will be your best friend after reading this book. Before reading the book, I almost never dealt with the ClassLoader. Now I use it all the time to:
   1. Create dynamically updated classes
   2. Manage security features not built in
   3. Allow for easy deployment without needing knowledge
   of the file system structure

   Perhaps most valuable of all is Mr. Halloway himself. ..., he has been more than willing to help me understand any parts of his book that were confusing to me. To me, that was the most valuable return on my purchase.

   Other resources to check out after reading this book:

   1. AVALON FRAMEWORK
   This is from Apache.org and it's a good framework for
   easy configuration which continues in the same vein as this
   book. http://jakarta.apache.org/avalon/

   2. Stuart Halloway's Ideas for a Configuration API
   ...
   Definitely worth checking out, it will give you some great
   ideas.




2. It heleps to have a problem to solve in order to recognize an elegant solution. Stu Halloway's book is exceptionally well-wriiten and an informative read. His examples clearly support the issue at hand. Three such issues of importance to me include Dynamic Proxies (Section 3.4); Custom Metadata (Section 3.7) and Generative Programming (Chapter 7).

   In the Dynamic Proxies section, he writes: "The strength of dynamic proxies is method call forwarding." [p. 87] Such succinct expression brings clarity to the discussion at hand, exemplifying the author's firm grasp of the subject.

   His Custom Metadata section illustrates pragmatic guidelines for implemenation of new-found insight:

   "Standard java compilers will not emit your custom attributes, and the Reflection API provides no support for accessing them. If you want to define and use custom attributes, a custom class loader that tracks the attributes as classes are loaded, and extensions to reflection that can access these attributes at runtime." [p. 101]

   Chapter 7 (GP), has been my focus. I appreciated his thorough comparison of parametric and inheritance issues in light of Czarnecki et al., Generative Programming: Methods, Tools, and Applications (p.176) wrt their emphasis on parametric polymorphism.

   Indispensable stuff.




3. I had already been teaching some of this book's material, from notes I had put together. Then I found this book - it covers more material, and does it beautifully. I give the book my highest recommendation.

   This covers component software from the standpoint that I prefer: the underlying technology that make components work. This book is not for the cut&paste programmer. It's for someone who wants to understand what really happens when a program (or component) starts execution. It's for someone who wants real control over code activation, or someone who just wants to execute every test() method in every class, without having to type in the ever-changing list of class names.

   This book also has a place in any library on code security. For example, reflection exposes a lot more of your program than you may have thought, and serialization creates a whole new family of possible data exposures. Security is not an explicit topic, but lots of the material has security implications.

   The only major topic this book misses is long-term (XML)serialization. Well, that's new at Java 1.4, and the book seems to predate that API. Maybe the second edition will cover it better. The book doesn't mention EJB styles of serialization or the Java Activcation Framework either, but those are just applications of the basic technologies described here.

   There was good reason for this book to be written about Java. I look forward to a .NET companion volume, when (if!) .NET provides the same capabilities. In the mean time, I'd recommend this to any advanced programmer, since analogies to Java will help readers understand environments other than Java, too.




4. This book is a must buy for everyone who wants to know how technologies like EJB is implemented. A tour de force.



5. Well, I don't think this book deserves 5 stars and here's why:
   
   1) The book provides good description of Class Loaders, reflection and of serialization (I liked them, really) but after that I was expecting to read about, you know, "Component Development", the title of the book ? Like how one divides his application to deployable components, why and when. Nothing about that - author just gave us tools that we can use without providing any further information. But I know Java provides CL, reflection and serialization for many years already - how does it help me to write components ? Where are some real-life examples (besides RMI, EJB and JSP) ?
   The chapter about GP (Generative Programming) gives a good description of various approaches about it (and if you know JBoss and it's dynamic invocation stack built with dynamic proxies vs other containers running "rmic" - you understand them even better) but still, I would call this book "Java CL, reflection, serialization and high-level GP overview" - that's exactly the information that I've received from it. Nothing about "component development" besides some basic example in the very beginning.
   
   2) The book spends time and space discussing C++/COM integration with Java and while I understand some will find this information invaluable - I'm sure for most Java developers (and that includes me) this is highly irrelevant.
   
   3) In 2007 it's became outdated in many points as we have Java SE 6 released and 7 upcoming - author only mentions J2SE 1.4.2. Right, many points still hold true but not all of them (does setAccessible(true) allows one to write final fields or not?) and one can never be sure whether what's he's reading is correct today the way it was back in 2001
   
   4) I checked "Java Class File Editor" plugged by the author - it's just a bunch of classes without any documentation (and I've never heard of any bytecode instrumentation guru using this library so it's not of big value after all). So I would call it a "toy project abandoned shortly after publishing a book"

5 comments about Visual J++ 6 from the Ground Up (From the Ground Up).

1. I am a C++ programmer and wanted to learn to use Java efficently and learn it quickly. The other reviews complain that the book advertised for beginning programmers, my copy did not. The book description was 100% correct. If you have a good understanding of programming techniques and want to learn the syntax, and structure of Java using MS Visual J++ 6.0, buy this book.



2. Alot of reviews here state that it is hard to understand, and not well written. But this book was not aimed toward just anyone, it is written for programmers. If you have NOT previously learned a language such as C, C++, or Visual Basic, I can see why this book might be a little bit confusing with it's fast pace. But for people with a programming backgroud, such as myself, will find it very easy to understand, and very well written. I came from a solid background of Visual Basic, and partial C and C++, and found the book to be most enlightening. A must have for programmers wanting to learn the Java language.



3. I'm an experienced programmer who wanted to learn java and MS J++ 6.0. I made it half way through the first chapter when I gave up and decided to return the book. I'm sorry, if an author cannot get a hello world example correct as well as basic screen descriptions, it's not worth trying to figure it out. It seems obvious to me that the author has not tried his own exmples. It's as if he wasn't familiar with the subject matter prior to writing the book.



4. This is a good book. Granted it seems like it would be for novices, it is not.THERE ARE NOT THAT MANY BUGS. You just have to watch your syntax. One of the biggest problems with novices starting Java is that the syntax is so strict. Be sure to use capitals when it shows to. :o) It doesn't matter if you are a experienced programmer or not, if you are not experienced at with C++ or at the least JavaScript then the syntax will kill you.



5. I picked it up to rid the world of yet another failed attempt of Microsoft for world domination. Note that the only reason Netscape released Netscape's source code is to prevent Microsoft from perverting the HTTP protocol and web standards that Netscape had researched and put in place. J++ was Microsoft's attempt to pervert Java. This has been Microsoft gut reaction to new technologies when they come on the market. I got this book partially to keep my door closed. I've thought how it would smell in the fireplace too.
   
   It's probably a pretty good read but I got it merely for the humor of finding a book on the now mostly (??) defunct J++.. Never implement with Microsoft languages, I'll tell you now, you can learn the lesson later.

5 comments about Jxta.

1. Developers, if you want the whole scoop on a new architecture that will enhance the way we use the internet, then you need to get this book. Brendon, the author, does a superb job of presenting JXTA, peer-to-peer, and how you can apply it. This is not just an overview and it's not another "copy & paste" book. You will get hands-on experience on how all this works. Its easy to read and very concise.

   As a IT contractor, its important to know what is out there and how it works. Sooner or later you will be affected by this new architecture. Why? Because it's an improvement over the way things are done today. Companies are always looking for an edge and this would give them that by distributing resource power among a wide array of servers and not drop the load on just one.

   You will learn what P2P and JXTA are in the first 2 chapters. Then it's hands-on from chapter 3. Unlike other books being offered on JXTA, Brendon did not gloss over anything in this book and does a lot more then just talk about it. After understanding the basics and terminology associated with P2P and JXTA, you begin doing some hands-on experience with the JXTA shell. As the book progresses, you get a good understanding of how it works in detail. Then the grand finale, a sample application shows you how to put to put what you've learned to practice for your own application.

   About myself:
   IT Contractor - 9 years
   6 years experience Java(Sun certified) programming
   "always checking to see which way the wind is blowing!"




2. I have no experience in network programming. I had to learn JXTA for a graduate class in P2P, so I picked up this book. My groupmate, on the other hand, picked up the book by Brookshier. I found my book an easy read and quickly breezed through all twelve chapters. My groupmate said that with his book, he couldn't get past the end of Chapter 1 before feeling sleepy. He eventually switched to this book.

   The two things I liked in the book were, one, it's conversational tone, and two, it's learning-by-doing approach. Much of the book consists of coding exercises, covering each of the six JXTA protocols. The 11th chapter is a complete chat application, with both client and server code.

   In summary, the best book for a jumpstart to JXTA.




3. JXTA is a new platform from Sun for peer-to-peer computing. JXTA is a short form of juxtapose, meaning side-by-side. Thus JXTA is not meant to replace client-server but to co-exist with it.
   
   At its core JXTA is just a specification for protocols needed for P2P computing. These protocols can be implemented in any language(Java,C,C++ etc)and on any platform. At present the specs define six protocols.

   The book under review has done a good job of defining JXTA and its 6 protocols. It consists of 3 parts. The first part gives a general intoduction to JXTA concepts (like peer, peer group, pipe, endpoint, and advertisements) and JXTA protocols.The second part is for those who want to go further and study all the 6 protocols (Discovery, Resolver, Rendezvous, Information, Binding, and Endpoint) in all their gory details. The third part is for those who want to go still further and develop their own applications. Here they will find a 100-page chapter covering a sample application. Thus the reader can decide at what stage he wants to quit.

   I found two main defects in the book: First the text in the UML diagrams is so small that I had to buy a magnifying-glass.Secondly the book does not compare JXTA and Jini very well. I think the comparison of Jini with later technologies like Web Services and JXTA is very important for a logical analysis of the direction IT is taking. From a logical point of view, Jini is the inspiration behind both JXTA and Web Services. And it is from this (purely logical) point of view that we will compare Jini with JXTA.

   Jini starts with a very powerful unifying principle,namely,the distinction between hardware and software is artificial, and therefore both these concepts must be replaced by a more general concept of services.This is the third unifying principle in IT in over a decade.

   First came objects which unified attributes and methods and put them in one basket. Then came components which unified software development. And now we have services which unify hardware and software.Staying on this logical track, what could be the next unifying principle of IT.My "guess" is as follows:

   If the difference between physics (hardware) and what it does(software) is artificial, then the seperation of biology (user)from these two is also artificial.Thus hardware,software,and geneware must be unified into a more general concept which covers all three. The concept of services is not enough for this unification even though terms like "user experience" have started floating around in the IT industry.

   Well, returning to JXTA, we can look at it as a special case of Jini restricted to P2P and not covering client-server.Alternately, JXTA is Jini minus its dependence on Java and RMI plus new terminology and protocols suitable for only P2P.I hope this is not the end but just the beginning of purely logical comparisons of Jini, JXTA, and Web Services.

   Experts are welcome to tear down this argument to pieces. That can only lead to greater logical clarification of the subtleties involved.




4. The core of the JXTA is six protocols and this book covers all of them deeply and systematically.

   For example, the book first introduces the Peer Discovery Protocol (which will definitely be used by every JXTA application to discover the resources). The book explains how to realize the Discovery Protocol by using the lower layer Resolver Protocol. Then the book teaches us how to use the Discovery Protocol in a JXTA application and actually gives us a useful example.

   Every protocol covered in this book follows this pattern - explanation and example.

   In addition to the protocols, programmers also need to know how to use some sub-system of JXTA to increase the flexibility of JXTA application and decrease the implement burden. Fortunately, the book covers them, such as CM (cache manager) in chapter4, Document (advertisement) in chapter4, module framework in chapter10, and so forth.

   You definitely need to put this book on your bookshelf because give you more than just example code. It includes how the protocols are implemented and how to use the protocols.




5. This is an excellent book that demystifies the basic concepts of peer to peer computing. It then goes on to explain JXTA in extensive detail with tons of code to experiment with. I always like books that have a complete application to build on the concepts that you have learned throughout and the example provided in this book is great. All in all a great book which i highly recommend and which i will be using for an online course that i will be teaching on Peer to Peer computing technology.

1 comments about J2ME Enterprise Development.

1. Reading this book helped me understand do's and dont's of J2ME based applications. Very clear explanation of how to develop J2ME based enterprise applications. MSales sample application was the first end-to-end working program I have seen in Mobile Java related books, as a matter of fact anywhere. I would recommend this book to all the Java developers as a must read.

   J2ME is such a volatile technology [still in its infancy]. Hopefully there will be a next edition of this book.

   -Persh

1 comments about Java Certification JumpStart.

1. I picked this book up cheap and with little effort you can too. I'm not saying this is the best Java book in the world, but it certainly does what it says it does. Introduce you to Java and giving you lots of useful information that will save you time. I wasn't able to find anywhere to download the code, but I had no problems compiling it after I typed it in. There is enough of these books out there now that people have whipped through to not buy it new. So if you are looking for a first Java book for $1-5 I'd say this is good choice.

3 comments about Java for Programmers.

1. Review of "Java for Programmers" by Douglas Lyon
   
   Carl Weiman, Ph. D., reviewer
   
   This new book spans all the novel and valuable features of Java Technology, such as OOP and built-in web functionality, in a clear, head-on fashion. Professor Lyon?s crisp writing style and clear examples carry the reader to the heart of Java and implant the concepts firmly in the programmer?s mind.
   
   The unabashed use of the word ?Programmers? (rather than, for example, ?Software Engineers?) in the title of Professor Lyon?s book is a refreshing admission that, after all, software is created by programmers. The recent emergence of extreme programming (XP) has spurred a quantum leap in programmer productivity, a factor which makes the programmer and this book additionally important. Consider the analogy of programmer to mountaineer, where the project corresponds to a mountain. In scaling the peaks of project development, XP facilitates leaps from crag to crag rather than foothold to foothold. The programmer utilizes chasm-spanning shortcuts to the summit of project completion. Java for Programmers gives today?s programmer seven league boots in the form of easy to understand code modules which scale to professional use in web, network, database, graphical, GUI, and XML applications.
   
   All too often, introductory programming language books give simple classroom examples which dumb down the language, and cram business logic and GUI into the same class. Dr. Lyon?s extensive professional and pedagogical experience shine in his avoidance of such examples by providing strong design-pattern classes which are simple enough to comprehend immediately and scalable to commercial applications. This is the clearest book I have seen for introducing both novices and experienced professionals to Java. Java for Programmers is a must-use for teachers of Java at all levels and for professional developers in any field of application that uses Java.



2. Below is a letter to the author. I would not buy this book, unless you are looking for an exercise in debugging a screwed up book. The author should be embarassed, and any profesor claiming excellence of this book should be embarassed as well.
   
   Dear Mr. Lyon,
   
   I recently purchased your book: Java for Programmers. I bought it based on what I had read on the front and back covers of this book, regarding that it been "class tested", and from the comments of Prof. Carl Weiman, Ph.D., Cooper Union, that "This book is a must-use for teachers of Java at all levels and for professional developers in any field of application that uses Java". Having read the first 6 chapters of this book, I'm gonna guess that Mr. Weiman is a very good friend of yours.
   
   I am a Software Engineer. I program for real, on real applications for the last 19 years. I have a MS in Computer Science from Johns Hopkins University, and a BS in Computer Science with a Minor in Mathematics from the State University of New York at Albany. When I buy a book with authors of Ph.D caliber, I expect a quality book. I expect that the examples work, that the book reads well so that it conveys complicated information in a manner that it can be understood. Your book is probably the worst book I have ever purchased in Java, and for that matter all of Computer Science.
   
   The content of this book has probably the worst layout I have ever seen. There are an abundance of grammatical errors, and for that matter the content is not even correct. I will admit that before purchasing your book, I have read others. In fact, I even did some professional Java Development work, although it was on a small scale. There were problems with theirs, but nothing like I have seen in this book.
   
   Here are some of the incorrect examples I have found (I know there are ALOT more... I just don't feel like proofreading your book for you for free)
   
   Page # Example Problem
   55 public class Payroll You created an object within this class that has a main routine.
   And Payroll does not.
   I compiled it and got: Exception in thread "main"
   java.lang.NoSuchMethodError:main
   
   61 public class hi() What's this? The word class does not belong here. Was this an
   attempt at an inner class?
   
   62 The Keyword Explain what "The Keyword" is?. Did you mean "instance of"?
   
   65 public void move closing } is not indented
   
   65 class Doggy,
   class Student,
   class Profesor What are these doing there?
   
   67 Section 6.9 "the data process itself" <--- That's a real clear statement!
   
   67 Delegation No examples here. Just rambling.
   
   Now, here's a better question for you. I notice that in the beginning of some of the chapters you claim credit with Maynard Marquis. Other chapters, no one takes any credit for.
   
   Examples:
   Chapter 1 - Nobody took credit for this one
   Chapter 2 - ""
   Chapter 3- Yourself and Maynard Marquis
   Chapter 4- ""
   Chapter 5 - ""
   Chapter 6 - Back to the unknown author (but, maybe it should be comic...)
   
   I think after 6 chapters, I pretty much got the ghist of this book. You should be ashamed of yourself, and anyone who lends their name to the quality of this book (i.e. Prof. Carl Weinman, Ph.D., Cooper Union) as well.
   
   If you are truly teaching your students with this (or maybe they are forced to buy it as part of the reading material for your course... ), then I feel truly sorry for them as well. If the only instruction they will be arriving at in the real world to program in Java is your instruction from this book, then they will fail.
   
   It is too bad Ph.D's cannot be revoked. Yours and Ph.D. Carl Weinman deserve careful consideration.
   
   I want my money back.
   
   Disgusted reader
   
   Oh, by the way, here as some comments from the author himself from within this gem of a book:
   "This book has been such a long ordeal. What I need right now is a good psychotic book." (Acknowledgments)
   "This book was written while drinking vast amounts of Kahinda Kenya AA coffee... Now that the book is done, I can sleep." (Colophon)



3. I used this book in an intermediate level Java course taught by the author. It covers a great deal of territory, and it does so without the mind-numbing detail of, for example, Deitel's Java: How To Program. That said, it depends very heavily on its author's open source DocJava API. As other reviewers have said here, that library is not without its bugs, which are reproduced in the text. And the proofreading is less than perfect. I would not use this as a primary text for learning Java, but as an example of one way to build a library in Java. Another edition, with the code more thoroughly tested and the library code more carefully separated from the Sun library code, would improve the text greatly.
   
   That said, I learned a lot from the author, and from his frequent co-author, Maynard Marquis, who teaches at the same University.

3 comments about Java Programming for Spatial Sciences.

1. 90% of the book's content covers basic Java, and has nothing to do with spatial sciences, GIS, remote sensing, or anything else listed as a scientific field in the description. And those sections which do attempt to cover those fields, mostly involve drawing basic shapes and a pixel map on a display.
   
   I gave the book 2 stars instead of 1, because one of the code examples models an ant colony. The ants include homing instincts, a queen and even a genetic mutation, which I thought were pretty clever. However, this is a better example of artificial life than spatial sciences.
   
   I was really disappointed to find out that the most rudimentary steps to creating software for spatial sciences, converting x/y pixels to some real-world coordinates (such as latitude/longitude) are not to be found in this book. Maybe the truth-in-advertising laws are lax in England.
   
   You're better off buying a seperate book on geospatial sciences or 3d math, then picking up Java in a Nutshell for a more complete Java resource.



2. I thought the book was very good. I used it to teach myself Java, at least at a functional level. The case example of an ant colony was very good, and served as a basis for additional studies for me. It also builds the basic code for GIS (the Minimum Enclosing Rectangle that narrows searcing down and other items). For those involved in spatial sciences I recomend this book.



3. totally misleading
   It's a just a repackaged java intro. It has nothing to teach about spatial or GIS or hardly even java

No comments about JavaScript Developer's Dictionary (Developer's Library).

5 comments about The Java Tutorial: Object-Oriented Programming for the Internet (2nd Edition).

1. This is perhaps one of the most well written technical books I have come across in a long time. It helps to have OOP background, to understand the way java works. The book is not a tutorial in the sense that some would expect, but it explains the fundamentals and attributes of the language in a very clear way. I have had this book for several years now and still refer to it (as a programmer) every now and then to review the fundamentals of how some things really work, so in that sense it is still valuable, especially due to the technical details. If users want to learn how to implement specifics on awt etc..., then they should buy a book that focuses on that, but this book does accomplish the objective of introducing java very well. This has been the source and perhaps a reference referred to by many when first introducing people to java. Problem is, the book is now probably well out dated, and the reader is adviced to buy newer editions, but this is still a great reference book on the fundamentals and mechanics of the language. Bottom line, I have no regrets for purchasing this book.



2. This was my textbook for a introductory college class for Java, and I never refer to it that much. Not too many examples to take a look at. It is good for a reference when you are more knowledgeable about Java. But don't think this is a handholding sort of book for the neophyte in Java. I wish there were more example for applets in the book. Anybody wants to buy my copy? The college bookstore is not buying it back, and I wonder just why.



3. Not that its bad. It like most Sun books is very good, but the Third edition is out. Buy that to get the latest on learning JAVA(tm).



4. This book is officially blessed by Sun Microsystems, but don't let that fool you - it isn't the best place to start with Java. If you've never used Java before, look for the "Core Java" book. Don't start with this one. I teach Java courses, and we originally tried to use this book as a supplement to in-class work. It wasn't terrible, but we found that the "Core Java" book was much better received than this for first time students.

   This book was originally written for presentation on the Sun web site, where you can still find it. As a result, it's written in a format that is laced with links and cross references, which I found a little distracting in book form. It's still usable, though - and I'd rather have this much material in book form. You can't exactly curl up with a good laptop.

   After you've already got the sort of good foundation in Java that a book like "Core Java" provides, this book can be very helpful. You can use this book to fill in the gaps and solidify your understanding of the language. It covers a host of important individual fundamental concepts rather well, and speaks intelligentally to language features, syntax, applets, and more.




5. This book is not a tutorial; it is not even really introductory.
   It does have some good explanations though. i bought thisd book because I have been trying to learn Java for the past 9 months. It isn't that the language is hard its the way it is taught!
   
   I will rate this book 3 stars; 3 stars for some good explanation. But the rest of the book is dumb examples and demonstrations, you will have to look up stuff at the Java web site to find out what exactly the methods mean. Also this book assumes you already know some basic java or whatever.
   
   If you have read some other java books fine buy this book, if not, beware; this book is only demonstrations without proper explanations.
   
   The purpose of a Java book should be to get the person reading it to apply what they study and I have yet to read such a book.