Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Seeking a Solid Java Textbook?

Posted by Cliff on from the introductory-classes-for-MS-students dept.

StudMuffin asks: "I am teaching a Master's level Introductory Java Programming class, at the University of Michigan in January, and am on the hunt for a solid Java textbook. This class is aimed at grad students (who obviously have a bachelors degree, so they are assumed to be able to think on their own) with no programming experience. Specifically, I would like to ground them in good Object Oriented principles, solid program design techniques, and finally in the actual syntax of Java. I would rather think of this as a 'How to program well' class that happens to use Java as the language over a 'Java class' that happens to cover programming. I would like to stay away from the applet heavy books that I tend to find, focusing instead on the topics above. Any ideas?"

4 of 93 comments (clear)

  1. Oxymorons by acxr+is+wasted · · Score: 5, Funny

    I never thought I'd hear the phrase "Master's level Introductory."

    --
    "Come on, let's go drink till we can't feel feelings anymore."
  2. Thinking in Java by skaffen42 · · Score: 4, Informative

    Check out Bruce Eckel's Thinking in Java. Not really a textbook in the classic sense, but sounds like what you need. Also available in an HTML version.

    --
    People couldn't type. We realized: Death would eventually take care of this.
    1. Re:Thinking in Java by rhild · · Score: 4, Informative

      Another thumbs up for 'Thinking in Java'. I can't think of a better book for someone intelligent, but new to programming. It covers lots of important concepts prior to introducing the language itself.

      I have plenty of Java books nearby and this is probably the most dogeared of the lot.

      The title says it all, 'Thinking in Java' gets the reader in the right mindset to understand a topic and 'why' things are the way they are.

  3. Focus on OOP, not on Java by Tal+Cohen · · Score: 4, Informative

    Like other said before me, if the point is teaching Java, there's no better book than Bruce Eckle's "Thinking in Java", which is available electronically from Eckle's website. (The 3rd edition is new, I haven't read it specifically. My opinion is based on previous editions.)

    I suggest, however, focusing on OOP, rather than on Java. A programmer who groks the fundametal concepts of OOP will have a relatively simple time adapting to the specific tidbits of Java. For this purpose, the best teaching language is Eiffel, and the best book is Object-Oriented Software Construction by Bertrand Meyer.

    --
    - Tal Cohen