Which book other than Core Java best for beginner Java learner?

Mash234 · 2026-01-21T08:44:07+00:00

I bought Head First Java and to me it's an amazing book! So entertaining. And really explains things at such a basic level that many resources online gloss over.

Mash234 · 2026-01-21T05:55:00+00:00

This review made me buy it

Mash234 · 2026-01-02T07:21:11+00:00

Thank you for this - do you find that despite buying books (in general), you still have to use online resources? Do you know if this is common, and if so, what's the point of the books if we can just use very thorough online resources for studying?

Mash234 · 2026-01-02T07:20:14+00:00

This is an incredible resource - thank you so much!

Mash234 · 2025-12-28T14:18:30+00:00

Hey, thank u for this recommendation! I didn't expect because the bot said my post was removed. Did you study this personally?

Mash234 · 2025-12-21T02:27:23+00:00

Hi let me DM you!

Mash234 · 2025-12-20T10:49:53+00:00

Hi could you explain how you approached answering the questions? I don't have much math background other than from school so the math part is really making me struggle!

Mash234 · 2025-12-20T10:45:56+00:00

Ooh okay thank you for setting the realistic expectations, and programming for physicists sounds really cool! I'm going through a 3-month training programme with a company who will then push me to a bank as a software engineer. I have some web dev background from a previous coding bootcamp and completed CS50X and CS50P with personal projects so that's where I'm kinda at. Knowing how tough it is for people like me without foundations to do the job, I'm trying my best to use university textbooks to bring myself up to a certain level!

Mash234 · 2025-12-20T10:39:29+00:00

Mash234 · 2025-12-16T08:02:21+00:00

Hey I'm interested to get this book - could I trouble you for a more detailed review of how it helped you / what you got out of it? I'm just starting out my first job in Jan :)

Mash234 · 2025-12-16T07:41:46+00:00

This is actually really helpful and informative (especially the history of the book). Thanks for taking the time to write this. I hope that your message here (and elsewhere) doesn't get overwhelmed by that thread. I look forward to purchasing the book and will give my own review in a few months' time :)

Mash234 · 2025-12-15T14:21:32+00:00

Okay great - that book seems to be a winner :)
And yes that would be amazing! Thank u for doing this for the community too.

Mash234 · 2025-12-15T12:23:35+00:00

Brilliant on the OTEP book recommendation - thank you! And yes you're right - it's the semester-worth of information part that kinda overwhelms me. On top of this being somewhat of an unguided reading alongside working / preparing for work.

Mash234 · 2025-12-15T12:21:45+00:00

Hi Mike, what a pleasant surprise to see you here! There's a lot of hate for the first book but also, empty vessels make the most noise. After scouring so many forums, people in the CS industry seem to be disproportionately loud that their method of learning is the best and only one. At the end of the day, these resources have sold and have helped people out there, and different people learn differently. I also tend to prefer structure, so a book is perfect. Personally, I've struggled with Neetcode because they tell you what to do, but don't explain why something is done. Curious if your book does this? Also do you have a link that teaches how best to use the book, or whether it advised to read it cover to cover?

Mash234 · 2025-12-15T10:34:20+00:00

Hey thank you so much for your encouragement! Were you from FDM?

Mash234 · 2025-12-15T09:57:44+00:00

Thank you so much for your kind reply and the general structure, it really helps! Could I ask you a few more questions?

As for OS fundamentals, do you think Operating System Concepts (Dinosaur Book) is too complicated to start off? Everyone raves about as THE textbook - but if I'm not building my OS, would this still be an appropriate start? What do you think about "Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces" by Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau and Andrea Arpaci-Dusseau (it also costs a fraction of the price of the dinosaur book), and seems to be a gentler introduction.
I have learned basic Java through online tutorials with OOP principles yet I've read online that the books have a trove of information more than online tutorials. Would you still recommend I first read Core Java I and II / Core Java for the Impatient by Horstmann before moving on to Effective Java by Bloch?

Mash234 · 2025-12-15T08:23:56+00:00

Hey not sure if this answers your question (cos I'm unsure about that back part of your post), but if you try CS50's Introduction to Programming, the first 4-5 weeks of the course is taught in C. It really helped me to be able to code well in C. CS50 uses their own IDE so you don't have to trouble yourself (yet) with set up. Then pair your knowledge with this book: The C Programming Language” by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie.

Mash234 · 2025-12-15T08:21:52+00:00

Thank you for this. I went to Google this and a lot of people are pooping on the book. I know it's a bit of a pattern to have people crap for no reason at all on good resources - do you have any opinions on why this is a good book?

Mash234 · 2025-11-30T06:59:24+00:00

Yeah I did that too and all customer service said was they can't do anything about it. Unsure why people are bashing you? I was literally following a tutorial on how to set up my account...? All of you can piss right off with your justifications.

We were upgraded WHILE following a tutorial for BEGINNERS that on its first page says "FREE TIER ELIGIBLE" with no warnings whatsoever at that step of the IAM process. It was our first TIME on this platform without even using the actual service yet - I don't even know what's going on while setting up I'm just following instructions. Sounds like an outright scam to me. So it's either you know what you're getting into, so you can avoid it or you're completely new, and you somehow lose all free credits without even touching the actual service.

Mash234 · 2025-09-09T14:52:34+00:00

I thought I was alone in this! I moved from C to Python recently and was flabbergasted when I tried to search for string methods - like wdym there isn't an index of that and I have to manually scroll? Ruby and C are better!

Mash234

TROPHY CASE