Reddit reviews Core Java, Volume I--Fundamentals (8th Edition)
We found 13 Reddit comments about Core Java, Volume I--Fundamentals (8th Edition). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
For true novices I'd recommend Java for Everyone by Cay Horstmann. For people new to Java but already familiar with programming I'd recommend Core Java by Cay Horstmann and Gary Cornell.
I learned it from this book. I took a class that primarily used Java, and I had never used anything but C (and thus had zero knowledge of OO programming). This book brought me up to speed fast and it was very thorough.
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I've found that I gained most of my best experience on the job, and that staying at a job where I wasn't learning anything was a huge mistake and detriment to my career.
That said... I don't think I'm a super genius either. I did well in college and my GPA helped with my first few jobs. But I have lots of hobbies outside of work, and rarely spend my time at home thinking about the office. A lot of times companies aren't looking for the super genius type either... if they were they'd have a hard time filling staffing requirements. I think the keys are learning how to interview well, focusing on letting the interviewer know that you're willing and good at learning and having the basics of OOO down to a T. Come off as confident, even if you don't feel it. It never hurts.
As far as books go, here are some of my favorites:
Programming Interviews Exposed
Programming Pearls
Refactoring
I'm mostly a java programmer, so here are three absolutely necessary java books:
Head First Design Patterns
Core Java 1
Core Java 2 - Advanced
Depends on your experience. If you haven't programmed before, I think Big Java would be a good book to start with (it's the book MIT's Civil Engineering Dept uses to get them up to speed with Java). If you've programmed before, you're better off doing the official java tutorials followed by Core Java 1 and Core Java 2.
Regardless of the path you take, if you intend to do ANY kind of "serious" java programming, Effective Java is a must-read.
Finally, you'll want a good reference book. Gosling's Java Book is the definitive one, although you might prefer a book by O'Reilly.
I guess Core Java™, Volume I--Fundamentals is a very good starting point. I recommend it always to guys asking me how to start with Java. Then the Vol II for advanced topics. And then Effective Java for best practises. Effective Java is excellent, but you need to have spent at least 1000 hours of programming in Java to fully understand what the book tries to teach you.
For a related discussion you might have a look at this post at stackexchange.
Since you want to learn java and esp. OOP, I would say start with a good book. I like Core Java Vol. 1 and Core Java Vol. 2 but you can start with any book you like.
Download Java from Oracle since they have version 7 for Lion.
For editor, I would stay away from any full featured IDE like Netbeans or Eclipse in starting phase. Start with TextEdit or Sublime Text. Write few code by yourself and compile it using Terminal. This way you will learn the compilation process. All IDEs compile files automatically so you can't learn what is going on behind the screen. If you use command line, you will also learn CLASSPATH, packages, class creation etc.
You should use command line for first 2-3 months only or may be less depending upon your learning curve. After that you can choose IDE. By that time, you will also good knowledge to judge which IDE is good for you. Netbeans and Eclipse both are good and free. I like Netbeans.
Good luck with your learning process.
When I was first learning it, I used Core Java (this looks like the latest edition? It's for Java SE 6). This book is more reference-y, so I basically self-imposed various tasks on myself (write something that will sort an array alphabetically, write something that can read a text file into an array tokenising by line, etc.). Depending on what kinds of learning methods work for you, this may or may not be the best way to do it. On the bright side, this book stays a useful resource once you get more advanced in it.
The official java tutorials are not a bad idea. The book core java is my personal favorite.
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/
http://www.amazon.com/Core-Java-Volume-I-Fundamentals-Edition/dp/0132354764
i too knew c++ when i decided to learn java, i found the core language book most useful immediately followed by Joshua Bloch's Effective Java (see wsppan's comment for a link).
Core Java Volume 1 - Fundamentals
in all honesty i was using the 6th edition book. good luck.
This, http://www.amazon.com/Core-Java-TM-I-Fundamentals-8th/dp/0132354764, and NetBeans are all you need.
http://www.amazon.com/Core-Java-I--Fundamentals-8th-Horstmann/dp/0132354764/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314210020&sr=8-1
Most libraries Ive been to have it.
Skip all the swing / awt stuff.
Core Java Volume 1 (Fundamentals) and Volume 2 (Advanced Features) 8th Edition?
e.g.
http://www.amazon.com/Core-Java-TM-I--Fundamentals-8th/dp/0132354764/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291955259&sr=8-1
Thanks!