Book Description
Using the Java programming language, author Adam Drozdek highlights three important aspects of data structures and algorithms. First, the book places special emphasis on the connection between data structures and their algorithms, including an analysis of the algorithms' complexity. Second, the book presents data structures in the context of object-oriented program design, stressing the principle of information hiding in its treatment of encapsulation and decomposition. Finally, the book closely examines data structure implementation. Overall, this practical and theoretical book prepares students with a solid foundation in data structures for future courses and work in design implementation, testing, or maintenance of virtually any software system.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book for data structures using java.......2000-10-05
I was looking for a latest edition of a book on data structures using Java. Lafore, Martin etc. are good texts but since collection API has introduced in jdk 1.2, those books seems to be obsolete. This book discusses new API and classes provided by java environment, so we need not to be bogged down by writing the unnecessary code. I feel this book is good for professionals in the industry as well as students of computer science. Algorithms are dealt with in detail with all the mathematical proofs involved, regarding efficiency and complexity. Various data structures are discussed with sufficient number of examples. Its a language specific book on data structures and algorithms, so if you are looking for a general book ar if you are working with any other language you will be dissappointed but surely a good book for java programming language.
Average customer rating:
- Depressing
- The gears on the cover dont even work!
- Anonymous
- Very unhelpful book
- I normally buy books because they contain information...
|
Practical Introduction to Data Structures and Algorithms, Java Edition
Clifford A. Shaffer
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
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ASIN: 0136609112 |
Book Description
The author, Cliff Shaffer provides a superior learning tool for those who desire more rigorous data structures and an algorithm analysis book utilizing Java. While the author covers most of the standard data structures, he concentrates on teaching the principles required to select or design a data structure that will best solve a problem. The emphasis is on data structures, and algorithm analysis, not teaching Java. Java is utilized strictly as a tool to illustrate data structures concepts and only the minimal, useful subset of Java is included.
Customer Reviews:
Depressing.......2007-07-14
This book gave me no hope for Analysis of Algorithm and Data Structures class, i have yet to find another book to assist me in this area. the book was so-what easy to read, but the explanation of the concepts is really horrible, dont waste ur money
The gears on the cover dont even work!.......2006-03-21
I have Dr Shaffer as my professor and he is just as boring in real life as his book. He has told us that some of the code segements are broken to make his students figure them out. DONT buy this book... It's not worth the money.
Anonymous.......2006-02-15
I would not reccomend this book for learning about data structures. With incomplete code and scampy sections on core area material, it seems to serve more as a workbook than anything else. In addition to this I find it to be poorly worded which has often caused me to overlook important details or have to read a sentence multiple times to understand what the author is saying. What saves this from being a one star product is the fact that if you do know the material, it can help you review structures but even then, the ackward wording still can slow down a quick read.
Very unhelpful book.......2005-11-29
Dr. Shaffer attempts to address the difficult topic of data structures and fails. Consistently he glosses over important points, or does not describe the implementation of data structures (the buffer pool, for example, is especially poor) adequately and leaves the hapless student confused and frustrated. For a computer scientist who already understands the subject this book may contain a few good points. Indeed, I was able to follow the sections where I had previous training, but when I studied material new to me, I was out of luck.
If you are unlucky enough to have a university that uses this text, consider trying to find a better book to get yourself an adequate understanding of this important subject, because Dr. Shaffer's text won't do that for you.
I normally buy books because they contain information..........2004-11-05
...but this was a mandatory book for my university's two-course Data Structures & Algorithms sequence that all computer scientists and computer engineers must take.
Coming in with a good deal of programming experience, I find that this book is not as clear or as complete as it could be. The sample code snippets throughout tend to be awkwardly implmented with obscure variable names and obtuse datatyping, and more often than not represent 'a' way of accomplishing a task rather than 'the best' way. Finding better ways of doing things is normally left for exercises at the end of the chapter; the answers are not included with the book.
Also, many significant details or comments are skimmed over or are ommitted from the text. Many important (and complex) observations are left as exercises - but again, the answers are not included, so there is no way of validating your answers.
Further, this book is targeted at the C++ language. It is obscene to discuss data structures and algorithms without mentioning the free, prepackaged, and optimized code of the C++ Standard Template Library. Indeed, this book and the code it includes would have benefitted from the ingenious architecture and software engineering behind the STL.
I really hope the campus bookstore will buy this one back when I'm done with it.
Book Description
Data Structures and Algorithms in Java, Second Edition is designed to be easy to read and understand although the topic itself is complicated. Algorithms are the procedures that software programs use to manipulate data structures. Besides clear and simple example programs, the author includes a workshop as a small demonstration program executable on a Web browser. The programs demonstrate in graphical form what data structures look like and how they operate. In the second edition, the program is rewritten to improve operation and clarify the algorithms, the example programs are revised to work with the latest version of the Java JDK, and questions and exercises will be added at the end of each chapter making the book more useful to readers.
Download Description
Data Structures and Algorithms in Java, Second Edition is designed to be easy to read and understand although the topic itself is complicated. Algorithms are the procedures that software programs use to manipulate data structures. Besides clear and simple example programs, the author includes a workshop as a small demonstration program executable on a Web browser. The programs demonstrate in graphical form what data structures look like and how they operate. In the second edition, the program is rewritten to improve operation and clarify the algorithms, the example programs are revised to work with the latest version of the Java JDK, and questions and exercises will be added at the end of each chapter making the book more useful to readers.
Customer Reviews:
Good book for beginners BUT...........2007-01-17
I found this book to be very useful to learn data structures even with minimum Java knowledge. The chapters are well written so that it's very easy to understand the matter quickly.
BUT: Many of the source codes are incomplete or even missing! I have no problem with typing source code from the book but if the author shows source codes where important methods are missing (delete method on 2-3-4 Trees) or even whole data structures are only explained in theory (Red Black Trees) without any piece of source code and at the end of the chapter tells us to find such stuff out by ourself I'm starting to wonder what do I paid the 45$ for?! I don't need a book for telling me to try to find out stuff by myself! I'm buying a book exactly for the matter to tell me the things that I can't find out by myself!
No Java source codes available.......2006-10-08
One major problem with this book, particularly for beginners like me, is that the Java source codes are UNAVAILABLE. To try the code in the book, you have to type, which obviously is a tremendous wate of time and frustration. There are no alternative. Hope that the author may immediately act to resolve the issue. Considering the amount of frustration that I have gone through, even two stars are a generous rating for this book. Now I am looking for other data structure books which are rated good and provide source codes.
Best book to read about data structures and algorithms with little to no knowledge about them.......2006-08-10
This book for people who do know little to nothing about data structures and algorithms in a programming language. If you do not know much about data structures and algorithms then the mere thought of learning them on your own can make you afraid of them. On top of that there aren't many books written in Java that talk about them. But this book makes learning it as easy as having an ice cream. As the title suggests, all algorithms and code examples have been written in Java. If you laready know Java then it is very easy to understand the chapters and the examples.
The chapters start off with good introduction to a topic and then as it progresses, the code is shown. After that the code is explained as well. The code that used in each chapter is further explained using a workshop applet. For example, in the chapter in Linked Lists, if you run the workshop applet you can actually see how the nodes are being added and deleted from the list. This makes learning even simpler.
Algorithmic complexities are also explained clearly and concisely without going too deep into the mathematics part of it.
This book is a good reference manual for people who already know these concepts and wanna keep something handy to browse through it.
But primarily, I would recommend this book for people with knowledge in Java and little to no knowledge in data structures and algorithms.
Applet Source Files.......2005-03-15
I just purchased the book. I download
the files of this book from the publisher website. I notice
that applet demonstration workshops in the book only contain
class files and html files. I just wonder if the original
java source files for applet workshops can also be posted in the
publisher website, which will facilitate the learning process,
since readers can modify the soruce files, and to see how the
applet results might change.
Very good book.......2005-02-16
Very good book. Very clear explanations with minimal use of jargons. The visual workshops is a very good aid. Definitely recommended!
Book Description
Sahni's DATA STRUCTURES,ALGORITHMS, and APPLICATIONS in JAVA is designed to be used in a second course in computer science (CS2). Using Java, this book provides comprehensive coverage of the fundamental data structures, making it an excellent choice for a CS2 course. The author has made this book student-friendly through intuitive discussion, real-world, applications and a gentle introduction.
Sahni is unique in providing several real-world applications for each data structure presented in the book. These applications come from such areas as Sorting, compression and coding, and image processing. These applications give students a flavor for the sorts of things they will be able to do with the data structures that they are learning.
Almost 1,000 exercises in this text serve to reinforce concepts and get students applying what they are learning. Sahni's text is also accompanied by a web site containing all the programs in the book, as well as sample data, generated output, solutions to selected exercises, and enhanced discussion of selected material in the text.
Customer Reviews:
Barely Used it.......2007-07-31
I'm currently taking a Data Structures course at UF, and I dislike this text. The descriptions are confusing; I found myself re-reading portions a few times to absorb the concept. His code examples are minimalist (often opting to omit brackets from blocks,etc), but in an instructional text this can often make the code difficult to decipher at best.
Stay away from this.......2006-08-28
I've been placed into the unfortunate circumstance of being forced to read this book for my class and I warn anyone who is considering buying this book voluntarily to consider something else.
Although I applaud Sahni's decision to use Java throughout the book, his coding style is sub par and suggests a weak grasp of Java programming conventions. The code for the book that is available from his website further confirms this as it is incredibly unorganized, with source and class files littering package directories in a non-standard way that causes the user to jump through hoops just to get his code to compile.
Additionally, the author does a poor job of explaining the math in the book, and the math itself at many times seems questionable in validity. I was particularly shocked when I saw him use two completely different "average count" formulas for essentially the same exact algorithm (see examples 2.13 and 2.14).
All in all the book is poorly organized, poorly explained, and definitely not worth your time or money.
Time, and tree pulp waste!.......2005-01-15
Hi,
First, I'm a senior CS student and I have not seen a book this bad ever since romance novels were invented. Now, here is why:
* The code is confusing and obfuscated at best.
* The author is often vague about which of the plethora of examples he is talking about.
* The later chapters (the most important) are pretty damn close to being unintelligible. The author is all over the place and the examples are inadequate. As someone mentioned, he tends to give final answers or outputs rather than walking the student through the problem.
Overall, don't buy this book unless you MUST. Ask your teacher for reconsideration, if possible. Just an awful book. There's an adage that often good scientists make bad teachers, this is one good example of that.
A beautiful book!!.......2004-05-06
I have worked with Dr.Sahni and taken two classes with him at University of Florida (undergraduate and graduate DataStructures). Needless to say the guy is a LIVING LEGEND in the field of datastructures and algorithms. Like I said I have used this same book for "Intro to datastructures" and I do admit that it requires a little effort to get the hang of it, but once you get hooked on to it you will see how simple and elegant the guy's code and language is (english I mean). I haven't seen a single line of ambiguity in this whole book. He writes exactly what he means in the most terse and simple language. That is why it might be a little dry to some people. Read every chapter twice if you have to, but do not leave this book to gather dust. That will do you a lot of harm. I can bet once you are done reading this book you will be writing much efficient and clean code. This is the kind of book that makes a software engineer out of a programmer.
SUFFIX TREES.......2003-09-23
I saw an presentation of suffix trees online by Dr Sahni.
Does anyone know if any of his books contain similar material,
that is, in depth material on suffix trees?
Thanks.
Customer Reviews:
Could have been better.......2006-05-26
I felt the author has a firm understanding of the concepts and truly what he wanted to convey, but this book lacked a great deal for beginners or newcomers to Java. Far too many of the examples were tough to understand and in many cases simply un-answered. This is not a book for beginners.
Not as good as I expected.......2006-02-24
It is a nice book but i expected something better. I don't know what it is but something is missing here. I like the C/C++ version of this book better for some serious learning. On the other hand this is a good opportunity to learn java programming at the same time if you haven't mastered it yet.
not a book for beginners.......2005-09-28
If you don't know Java, don't expect to be able to learn the things you need to for a class. If you learned how to do alorgithms in mathematics, it may not be enough for computer science. You probably want to get a supplemental or two if you have to get this book for class. It is quite advanced and a hard read.
Good for professors, bad for students.......2003-11-24
All of the practical algorithms are left as un-answered exercises! Great in depth discussion of introductory algorithms, but very few examples, mostly pseudo-code.
INFURIATING FOR INDEPENDENT STUDY, but good if you have a professor to explain everything as you go.
Knowledge is Power and Painful, too.......2002-11-01
Well, I have to admit I did not expect much from this book. But to my overly pleasant surprise, I found this volume quite useful both as a resource for algorhythms and data processing...Forget the Bible, this is the only book one truly needs. And it's fun to say "Java." Amen.
Customer Reviews:
More Practical for Programmers Than Cormen's.......2007-09-08
These text(s) do for the software engineer what Cormen's book does for the scientist. To be knowledgable with algorithms will greatly seperate you from a novice.
Very good examples and using Java is very smart because most OO programmers can easily understand the language (C# is practically identical).
For those who struggle with the Cormen book, (Like I did) it would do you well to get this book. You will refer to it time and time again in your career as a software developer while the Cormen book collects dust on the shelf.
A treasure!.......2006-02-25
This series is a treasure to keep. The book is filled with great diagrams and very easy to understand language.
Excellent book.......2005-11-10
First is Knuth, second is Corman that brings the art of algorithms closer to earth. Then is Sedgewick. This book provides very good balance between theory and practice and lets the practitioners know that programming is a bit more than just writing "if" and "for" and that the art of algorithms is not only art but also science. This book evolved from early editions (Algorithms in C, 1990) and keeps the standard. These two volumes is the must for every serious programmer.
Cons: Java code is a bit "C-ish" and makes it clear that it is easy to write C program in Java. In addition, section Geometric Algorithms from 1990 edition and other material following this section is missing in newer editions. Maybe this material will be included in Volume 3, that as rumor says, is in preparation.
Excellent combination of books.......2004-05-26
Sedgewick's publisher (Addison-Wesley) has gathered his two books, Algorithms in Java, parts 1-5, into one resource for developers. Convenient, for you now have something that spans the most common algorithms encountered during computer programming. Logically, the combination of the two volumes is very coherent.
(Below is my review of the Part 1-4 book.)
In my work, I have a bunch of interlinked objects. I can use tables to display these, but showing linkages is awkward. It is far more natural to graph them. This lets me use evolution, for the human eye and brain are excellent at processing images and discerning patterns in them. But I also want to algorithmically find groupings and invariant properties of the graphs. There is a danger here. In graph theory, it is very easy to inadvertantly pose a simple question that is computationally hard to solve (NP-hard). Conversely, I don't want to reinvent the wheel. From graph theory, there may well be properties of my graph that I can easily extract. Certainly, the amount of research on graphs is voluminous.
But how does one take advantage of that? Consulting research journals in maths for papers on graph theory is really feasible only for the career mathematician. But for me, graphs are just a tool; not an ends per se. So I need a book that has the right amount of complexity. It needs to get enough into the subject, beyond the trivial exposition of definitions. Yet it should not bury me in lemmas and theorems.
I found such a book! This one. A well deserved third iteration. The explanations are extremely clear. Before I encountered this text, I used Donald Knuth's "Art of Computer Programming" (which is also put out by Addison-Wesley) and his treatment of graphs. But Sedgewick's discourse is far more extensive and, to me, just as well written.
A bonus is the extensive problem sets at the ends of each chapter. Even if I have no inclination to do them, the results they give are a valuable extension of the text, by providing an extra summary of the research. I only wish that Sedgewick would provide answers, like Knuth. But this is a just a quibble.
This edition has example code in Java. Certainly nothing wrong with that. [I program in Java.] But really the code should be a secondary consideration to you. If you are a programmer and you can understand the text, then you should be of a calibre that you can write the code.
Book Description
Fundamental data structures in a consistent object-oriented framework
Now revised to reflect the innovations of Java 5.0, Goodrich and Tamassia's Fourth Edition of Data Structures and Algorithms in Java continues to offer accessible coverage of fundamental data structures, using a consistent object-oriented framework. The authors provide intuition, description, and analysis of fundamental data structures and algorithms. Numerous illustrations, web-based animations, and simplified mathematical analyses justify important analytical concepts.
Key Features of the Fourth Edition:
* Updates to Java 5.0 include new sections on generics and other Java 5.0 features, and revised code fragments, examples, and case studies to conform to Java 5.0.
* Hundreds of exercises, including many that are new to this edition, promote creativity and help readers learn how to think like programmers and reinforce important concepts.
* New case studies illustrate topics such as web browsers, board games, and encryption.
* A new early chapter covers Arrays, Linked Lists, and Recursion.
* A new final chapter on Memory covers memory management and external memory data structures and algorithms.
* Java code examples are used extensively, with source code provided on the website.
* Online animations and effective in-text art illustrate data structures and algorithms in a clear, visual manner.
Access additional resources on the web www.wiley.com/college/goodrich):
* Java source code for all examples in the book
* Animations
* Library (net.datastructures) of Java constructs used in the book
* Problems database and search engine
* Student hints to all exercises in the book
* Instructor resources, including solutions to selected exercises
* Lecture slides
Customer Reviews:
Genuinely usefull .......2006-02-25
It is worth to have waited for 10 days for the book
It covered up to date java technology and provide additional informations about the implementations of algorithms in real life.
I got many usefull java and algorithm theories from this book and I think it fits to people who want to learn java and the other who have java knowledge.
Hundreds of typos, and authors apparently don't want to know.......2005-11-25
I'm finding the 4th edition reasonably clear and comprehensive. However, the book is teeming with typographical errors. Most of them are typesetting errors involving superscripts and subscripts that overlap the adjacent characters so they aren't fully legible. But there are numerous other miscellaneous typos.
So, I've been marking them in my copy, in order to submit them to the authors or publisher, but apparently they don't want to know about the typos. The "errata" section at java.datastructures.net contains no errata and no instructions on how to submit errata. I wrote to one of the authors to ask how to submit errata, but received no reply.
quick send. great buy........2005-10-04
got the book very quickly. also the book was sold at a great price.
Third edition is much improved.......2005-05-14
When I learned that this was the required book for my introductory data structures class this semester, I was somewhat worried by the large number of very negative reviews I saw it had received here. However, during the first class meeting, the professor made a point of instructing us to get the third edition (published in 2004), explaining that the differences between the second and third editions were significant.
Judging by the older reviews below, he was right - the book I read seems to bear little if any resemblance to the one denounced by the other reviewers. I found it clear and readable, though it was rather basic and dry. But then, I wasn't expecting great literature - this is a introductory compsci textbook, after all. Though it could be dull at times, it generally managed to get its information across clearly, which is all it needs to do. There were some typos, of course, though probably not more than should be expected to accompany such a major revision. The book's main flaw was an index that had essentially no relation to the actual text itself. A corrected index is available at the book's Web site.
In terms of organization, Goodrich and Tamassia start off with a brief introduction to Java, object oriented design and a brief and very basic discussion of running time and asymptotic analysis. They then work their way through basic data structures and abstract data types - stacks, queues, vectors, lists, trees (general, binary, and binary search), priority queues, heaps, dictionaries, hash tables and graphs. They discuss the structures' purposes and major operations, analyze the operations' running times, and include decent, heavily-documented Java implementations of some of the structures and methods. They also do some stuff with algorithms, though generally nothing very complex or sophisticated. I used this book in an introductory data structures course at a liberal arts college, which managed to cover pretty much everything in the book with little difficulty.
There are a lot of exercises at the end of each chapter. Goodrich and Tamassia divide them up into progressively more complex "Reinforcement", "Creativity" and "Projects" sections. My instructor preferred to assign problems and programming assignments of his own creation, though, so I don't know how helpful or useful the exercises in the book actually are.
All in all, it seem Goodrich and Tamassia noticed the sort of reviews the earlier editions of this book were getting and took steps to correct the many problems they had. I expect that if you have to use the book in a data structures course, you'll find it at least reasonably clear and generally acceptable. As long as you're using the third edition, that is.
Not Recommended.......2003-03-30
Like many other reviewers, I had to purchase this book for one of my CS courses. As a reference book, it gets no more than 1 star. I find it often confusing in its explanations, incomplete code examples and uneven pace. I understand that it was designed to be a textbook, but it miserably fails to be of any value to a student. For 100+ bucks, I expected a lot more.
Book Description
This book takes a gentle approach to the data structures course in Java. It offers an early, self-contained review of object-oriented programming and Java to give students a firm grasp of key concepts, and allows those experienced in other languages to adjust easily. The book also offers a flexibility which allows professors such options as emphasizing object-oriented programming, covering recursion and sorting early or accelerating the pace of the course. This title meets the needs of professors searching for a book to balance the introduction of object-oriented programming and data structures with Java.
Customer Reviews:
Useful and informative.......2006-04-26
For the student seeking to learn data structures, this book certainly covers the basics (sorts, trees, graphs, recursive elements, stacks, queues) well. While some introductory Java is enforced, it assumes a general background in basic Java programming.
Java.......2006-03-20
The book is not very useful. The author jumps between Java versions but never covers all of the new features Java 5.0 has to offer.
Good introductory book.......2004-05-19
Despite having a professor who criticized Main's approach to almost every topic (seemingly in a bid to sell more of her own book), I enjoyed this book and got much use out of it. Other reviewers here claim the example code was buggy: I rarely type in and compile sample code - I never did for this book - so I cannot comment on any errors. However, the author's website has code for almost every class in the book. I highly encourage you to check it out.
I enjoyed his discussion of the topics; he clearly explained the fundamental ideas of the topics covered in the book. One does not need to have example code to write a linked list class if one reads his clear descriptions of it. Same goes for most ideas in the book.
The weak point I thought was sorting, and this was more of a weakness of my own than the author's. Two entire chapters are devoted to searching and sorting, but I just wasn't very interested in it. However, it is a useful concept, and you get much analysis of a few common searching & sorting routines.
The best strategy to use this book is simply to read it straight through. Only quickly scan his code, to get an idea of one way to implement an idea. Read his explanations a few times until you understand the ideas and can state them in your own words. You don't need to be able to memorize Java-specific implementations of ideas from this book. You should, instead, be able to clearly explain in English the abstract ideas that are taught in this text. Recommended both for class and for learning on your own.
I have one too many java books in my stock.......2004-05-13
I read a lot of confusing books by java experts that sometimes forget to go back to the simple basics when teaching simple minded readers. However, this book is for continuing readers of java who had some, but not expert training, experience in writing programs. What I liked most of this book is how he gives pointers on what to look out for while programming, and provides alternate solutions that would be better off in the long run than what general programmers tend to come up with. I also liked how he distinguished between specification and implementation to improve group/team environments (especially for large programs). His specifications before each class gave me a very intuitive idea of what is being asked rather than being confused with all that code. Once I got the general idea, I was able to under the code more. By following the convention that I described about the way he helps the readers, data structures became very clear to understand, especially when it comes to implementing such structures in Java. Its better to read this book slowly one chapter at a time than to jump into the middle, if you want to get a thorough established view of what is going on.
Very confusing book,.......2003-08-21
The book is very weak for learning how to use data structures. I found the sample code to be buggy, but you can find updates and most of the code in the book on his website. However, there was a unique and easy to understand approach to explaining the code, but there's very few examples of situations on how and where to use, If data structures is a new concept to you, then look elsewhere. Yes this was my first experience with data structures, and I stayed lost or confussed most of the time.
Amazon.com
While most books on algorithms and data structures use C or C++ for their examples, Data Structures and Algorithms in Java introduces data structures, sorting, and related algorithms using the Java programming language. This worthy reference helps working programmers get the most out of using Java to store and manipulate data efficiently.
The book starts out with simple data structures, such as Java arrays, and looks at a variety of traditional sorting algorithms, such as the quick sort and the bubble sort. Along the way, the author uses clear-cut examples in Java that show the ordering of elements visually in applets. (All source code is included in the accompanying CD-ROM.) The book then looks at linked lists (which can be efficient in Java because references point to objects in memory the way C++ pointers do).
The chapters on working with trees are especially clear. The author introduces and explains all the mathematical concepts needed to understand working with data structures. For example, he explains logarithms from the beginning so the reader will understand how various algorithms will perform with different numbers of elements. The author also includes advanced data structures, such as graphs and weighted graphs, along with sample applets that actually demonstrate what these containers look like and how they store and retrieve data.
The book concludes with a discussion of when to choose particular data structures over others--a topic that is less critical as CPU speed increases. In all, Data Structures and Algorithms in Java is a concise and readable excursion into the world of data structures. The book does an admirable job of showing how a traditional topic in computer science is handled in one of today's most popular programming languages. --Richard V. Dragan
Book Description
Not filled with with obtuse mathematics and difficult proofs, MWSS:Data Structures and Algorithms in Java removes the mystique from DS&A. It does this in two ways. First, the text is written in a straightforward style, making it accessible to anyone. Second, unique new Java demonstration programs, called "Workshop Applets," are provided with the book. These Workshop Applets provide interactive "moving pictures" which the user can control and modify by pressing buttons. The book's text describes specific operations the user can carry out with these Workshop Applets, and the applets then reveal the inner workings of an algorithm or data structure.
Customer Reviews:
Buy IT!.......2002-06-16
If you r looking for a book that concentrates on Data structures in JAVA, then this book is definately for you. It does not bore you with the AWT libararies and all that, it lets u jump into the nitty gritty of data structures programming in Java. I don't think it even touched on the AWT libraries once in this book. Which is good for me since my school sylabus doesn't touch on that at all either. It especially touched on the topic of linked lists very well, explaining the concept in the most simplest way possible. And for alot of us, we usually hit the brick wall when we reach tht topic on linked list. So yeah, if u really want to buy a good book for DS on Java, this book is for u!
excellent supplement to your main text or class notes.......2002-05-22
Is there a perfect book out there on data structures using Java? No, but this book by Lafore is the best among the lot especially for students (like me) trying to learn the stuff. This book is the exact opposite of the widely used book by Tamassia&Goodrich (T&G) - that is, Lafore covers data structures in a non-mathematical, non-technical way without using formal proofs and abstract mathematical definitions. This makes it very readable and understandable especially when compared to T&G. It covers all the major topics you're likely to see in your data structures course: arrays, stacks, linked lists, queues, sorting algorithms, trees, heaps and hash tables. The last chapter - When to Use What - is excellent. Distills the whole topic into just a few pages.
Complaints: This book gives very short shrift to big O notation IMO. And Lafore really takes the easy way out with heaps - he uses an array (Ugh!). Come on, Lafore, you should have used a tree for this ! He doesn't cover AVL trees at all so you'll have to look elsewhere for that. Also, ... the source code isn't 'generic' enough - he implements many data structures to hold a specific type instead of allowing them to hold generic Objects. There are no end of chapter exercises so I don't know if it could be used as a regular class text. The applets on the disc are instructive, though.
If you could combine the topic coverage of T&G (along with just a bit of their formalism) and Lafore's readablity you'd have the perfect teaching book on data structures using Java.
Excellent Introduction.......2002-05-15
This book presents an excellent introduction to Data Structures using Java.The workshop applets are really helpful to get quick understanding.
Data Structures & Algorithms in JAVA.......2002-02-26
This book is outstanding. I am very familiar with data structures and I am fluent in several computer languages, but not Java. I was looking for a book that would let me quickly implement the data structures I needed in Java. This book is perfect for that. LaFore is an excellent writer. The examples are short and focussed on particular data structures. The code is very easy to read, modify, and combine. And, unlike many other books, LaFore's code is debugged and works right out of the book. I purchased several books on data structures in Java, and this is the one I use. My recommendation: buy it.
Extremely helpful in illustrating how data structures work........2001-12-13
When I started studying data structures, I was quite taken aback by the descriptions given in my college textbook. The examples were convoluted and shied from giving the reader an understanding of the basic concepts. Rather, it chose to focus purely on algorithmic analysis. That approach required too many mathematical proofs and other complex notation. Fortunately for me, this gem by Lafore came to the rescue.
Lafore's illustration of data structures is concise and easy to follow. In each section the data structure is discussed in general and then further dissected into easily understandable subsections. An added benefit is that each chapter has Java code that illustrates the main functions of each data structure discussed. The code is included on a CD that also contains interactive Java Applets. I found that the applets really helped illustrate how some of the more complex structures work.
There is no code in the chapter on Red-Black trees or in the chapter on 2-3-4 Trees and external storage. This is okay however, since presentation of the code might have consumed too much space and have been difficult to follow (Fortunately, There are insightful applets for these topics). My only regret is that the book doesn't give as much in-depth information on certain functions of B-trees and B+ Trees as it does on the other topics. More than less likely this is a little (too?) picky on my part.
Overall a great book to get if you are interested in learning essential Data Structures.
Customer Reviews:
Solid book, great if its what you need.......2007-06-10
I used this book in my CS Data structures class, its important to note that this book is not a "general" java book, it only deals specifically with Data Structures, so if your a java beginner this is NOT the book for you. The book has large amounts of code and writings about Queues, Stacks, Linked Lists, Iterators, Arrays, and Trees (both binary and bst). I found the sample code helpful when writing, but it dissapointed me that they would never provide a whole class code.
Excellent, but only for the right purpose.......2006-08-27
This is an absolutely outstanding book, but it depends on your intent. This is not a general purpose Java book. In fact, the Java aspect is almost incidental. This is a data structures and algorithms book. It's intent is to teach core computer science concepts that trace their roots back literally decades, and will hold until the day comes when someone figures out how to exceed the Turing model, which will change life as we know it so substantially that *all* your computer books will become instantly obsolete. In the mean time, if you want to learn Java per se, do not buy this book! If you want to understand the building blocks of computer science, definitely buy this book. It's ability to concisely address all the key concepts is amazing. I teach a computer science class on data structures and algorithms, and I evaluated several books other than this one. At first glance, I did not like this book because it was so easy to read and presented concepts so effectively that I thought it was too lightweight. But as I read it, I was amazed at how well it covered everything, and did it with brevity and clarity. It starts from basic sets and linked structures and makes it all the way through complex trees and graphs. Again, don't get it if just learning Java is your goal, that is definitely not its purpose, but if you want to understand the foundational programming tools of computer science, this book is great.
Great book to have.......2005-10-03
It's a very good book, and it was useful for me, though am very new to Java.
teaches highly value added skills.......2005-09-23
All mainstream computer languages implement a common set of data structures and algorithms. If you are a computer science student, you must learn these at a level that you can at least facilely code using them. What language you do it in is probably secondary. Well here, Lewis and Chase instantiate the pedagogy in Java. A good choice. They have updated this second edition so that it uses Java 1.5 (aka Tiger).
They assume you have a rough working knowledge of Java. This is not the time or place to go over basic syntax. Though you should already know the basics of object oriented programming, they give an entire chapter to thoroughly discussing how to do so. In this chapter, you should pay close heed to the section on interfaces. More than many other aspects of Java, interfaces help you build modular code. To explicitly reduce the coupling between different classes, where one class might call the other. Instead of doing a direct call, if interfaces are used to mediate this instantiation, it is a huge boost to modular design. My only gripe here with the interface text is that I think it does not stress enough how useful this is. Only when you've tried to do a large project might you fully appreciate using interfaces.
Later chapters show you how the base Java comes with a rich assortment of very useful classes. That implement queues, linked lists, lists, stacks, trees and collections. These can match or even exceed what is available on these topics in the C++ Standard Template Library. While poor old C totally lacks them.
I suggest also that you scan closely the chapter on hashing. This is a key and fundamental idea in computing. Lets you search a table in logarithmic dependence on its size, instead of linear dependence. Another excellent Java class.
If you want to improve your skill in Java, you need to move beyond just knowing the basic syntax and making UIs. Both these leave you exposed to junior programmers or offshore programmers. Whereas having a deep understanding of the book's topics is harder to learn. Gives you more of a barrier against those who do not know this material. More value added skills.
Also, one day you might have to code in another language. The skills here are far more portable between languages.
TERRIBLE.......2005-01-28
This is the worst text I have ever had to use. There is no cohesion - Chapter one, for example, provides not enough information on too many topics - and I suspect some of the exercises are erroneous. Either that, or they just don't supply you with enough information to answer their own questions. It is not easily understood either; they do not provide the reader with sufficient examples to illustrate their meanings.
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