Learn Java on the Macintosh

Product Description
Veteran authors Barry Boone and Dave Mark show readers how to learn to program using Java on the most user-friendly platform–the Macintosh. Written in the style of the highly successful Learn C on the Macintosh, this easy-to-follow introduction will take beginning programmers through the core concepts of this new programming language. The CD-ROM contains Metrowerk’s CodeWarrior Java Lite, the premier version of Java for the Mac…. More >>

Learn Java on the Macintosh

5 thoughts on “Learn Java on the Macintosh”

  1. The authors do a good job explaining the easy conceptual stuff and simple code in the early chapters and, as a total programming neophyte, I was very impressed–at first. But when they get to more complex code examples in the middle chapters–forget it. IMO, they throw too many concepts at you, too quickly, and with poorly articulated definitions and garbled explanations, and you’re left shaking your head, slack jawed with confusion. I don’t claim to be an Einstein, but I’ve got a very strong conceptual and logical intelligence, years of Mac experience, plus energy and dedication to the task of learning–and I can’t get through this damn book. The other frustration is the CD that came with the book. It was burned in 1996. When I loaded it on my Mac it put files in my system folder which conflicted with my other start-up items. I called the CD’s manufacturer, Metrowerks, they politely washed their hands of it. Said it was written for system 7 and was, in 1999, now “out of date” and they bore no legal responsibility for it. In fact, the fine print in the back of the book says as much. OK, you got met. So I called the publisher, they agreed to “send me a replacement” book. Now I have 2 copies of this frustrating book, both with out of date software. So had to go out and get Metrowerks updated software for about $80 (which works fine), so I could use my book. Shame on you Addison Wesley, for leaving this book out on the market with apparently out of date software, and for doing such a poor quality editing job.
    Rating: 1 / 5

  2. Learn Java on the Macintosh just doesn’t have the meat one needs to become a well-versed Java master. Including CodeWarrior actually retards learning. Restricting the user to a particular IDE, and not allowing him/her to take advantage of Apple’s frequently updated MRJ SDK (a free toolset from Apple), is a painful blow.

    If that were the only flaw, Mr. Boone could be forgiven, but it’s not. Though the examples that are presented are easily readable and simple to perform, not enough effort has been spent by Mr. Boone to make sure his reader can expand upon these simple skills at the book’s completion.

    After reading the several hundred pages, the reader has done no more than been led by the hand through the most simplistic tasks (and has been tied to CodeWarrior if s/he wants to get them done).

    To really get down and dirty with Java, take a look at Exploring Java By Patrick Niemeyer & Joshua Peck ISBN 1-56592-184-271-9. By the second chapter you’ve already been exposed to Java class hierarchies and paint methods (two topics Boone barely mentions).

    It’s a shame though. Mark’s book on C is a wonderful volume. But Boone took too long to get going (I have an electronic copy and started printing out what I was going to actually read at page 187) and finally comes up short. Java is a field where Windows isn’t the name of the game and cross-platform functionality is. Java’s the perfect langauge for the Mac; the book just ain’t!

    Ruffin Bailey
    Rating: 1 / 5

  3. If you have no previous knowledge of any of prog_lang, start with Dori Smith book, then go to free Sun’s tutorial. If you are familiar with OOP, this book will be nice transition to more advanced topics. Great book if you fit profile above. Mind you, to play around with sample code, get JDK. 3 stars, because the book should make clear that some of the later chapters are out of the reach of average beginner to programming.
    Rating: 3 / 5

  4. If you’re looking to begin your computing experience with computer programming, this is a very good foundational book. Boone and Mark hand-hold you through the process, and Java seems very simple under their tutoring. However, as I’ve begun to program and use this as a reference book, I have occasion to go back to it and try to find coding I’d read about, Finding lost coding is almost impossible. It seems as though very little time was spent on the index and glossaries. In other books like Laura Lemay’s HTML book, there was a lot of time that was spent recapping the chapter and listing all the code in a concise, timely manner. There is nothing like that in this book. It wasn’t bad enough for 3 stars, but 4 stars seems a little much, too.
    Rating: 4 / 5

  5. I am teaching Java in a middle school with only Macs in the computer lab and had picked this book for several reasons
    1. I had used Learn C on the MacIntosh and was very pleased with it.
    2. Code Warrior Lite was included.

    I ended up apologizing to the class for having them buy the book. CW Lite should not be bundled in a book for beginners. It is cripple ware which will not let you create your own files and so is only barely useful for anything other than running the sample code.

    The book itself is very disappointing. While it does do a fairly good job on the basics of the language for the most part it ignores the packages. It was hard to create interesting exercises based on what they had read in the book. While I am a firm believer in learning the basics of a language leaving the packages out to the extent which they did makes this a particularly bad book for learning.
    Rating: 2 / 5

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