Murach's Beginning Java with Eclipse

I am on page 114 of 642. I like the format. Code on the right side page. I look at it first. Then the left side page explains it in detail. The exercises have been well thought out.I don't think there is a way to make reading it more exciting. It takes me a few days to absorb each chapter and some more to do the exercises. COVID-19 is happening on the news and to friends so it is difficult to concentrate.

I started a course in Data Structures and Algorithms in Jan, 2019, and had some experience in Java, and none with Eclipse. I expected a little more detail with Eclipse, but luckily, it was enough to get me started in Eclipse, and I've taught myself more.As far as Java goes, it's got all the basics. I could probably find the answer on the internet, especially in StackOverflow, but sometimes you have to go through pages of material there to find the answer, and with the appendix, I can usually find the answer quickly. That's helpful in just time savings, plus I'm less likely to lose my train of thought if I can find the answer quickly.

I found the structure of the of the lessons helpful. The paired-page (text on one page while code examples and screen captures on the facing page) approach to presentation of material helps learning more while reading less. Each chapter is also followed by exercises which guide one through the development of the real applications presented in the chapter.

Well paced with good explanations.

Strongly recommend it

Classic book, could describe input and output better

I gave up after I read two hundred pages and learned nothing more advanced than how to write a for loop. There's a lot of good information in the book, but it is too slow and dry to be read cover-to-cover and too haphazardly organized to be useful as a reference.

This was a textbook I had to buy for my Intro to Programming college class. The book is dry to say the least, and while I had already knew the basics of programming and java before I bought the book, I have to say that this book doesn't do a good job of making learnig interesting. The downloadable source code for the programs on the website are helpful, but the programs can be hard to understand for a beginner. I believe a better introduction to java would be the Oreilly series which has a free pdf and tons of smaller exercises that are more fun and easier to comprehend.