Java (again) dominates Amazon.com sales rankings for Programming Books

[asj]

From: http://www.jroller.com/page/kalimantan/20040225#java_again_dominates_amazon_com

Awhiles back, I used Amazon.com's bestseller entries to gauge interest
in particular programming platforms:
http://www.jroller.com/page/kalimantan/20030916#java_books_make_strong_showing

The last time I did that, In September 2003, Java had an extremely
strong showing and bested all other specific languages (although the
top spot was occupied by C++):
http://www.blueboard.com/phone/amazon.htm

Here's another updated look at the list, and again Java dominates the
list, with smatterings of C++, Perl, Python, and C. There was not one
single C# book in the entire top 25, nor any Visual Basic books:
http://www.blueboard.com/phone/amazon_2004_2_25.htm

#3 : Sun Certified Programmer & Developer for Java 2 Study Guide (Exam
310-035 & 310-027)
#15: Head First EJB
#19: Head First Java
#22: Java How to Program, Fifth Edition

All I can say is, keep on BUYING them Java books! Heheheh....

 

[ToddT]

yawn

 

[Guest]

Good for java..

Has it occured that maybe people are actually buying books from other places?
Or that C++/Java has been more commonly used in education circles, meaning students have been required to purchase said Java texts?

As more Universities and other education institutes move to C#/VB.net, you'll problably also notice an increase in the sales of .net books.

Just my 2 Cents.

Eddie.

 

[William Ryan eMVP]

Hi asj:

From: http://www.jroller.com/page/kalimantan/20040225#java_again_dominates_amazon_com

Awhiles back, I used Amazon.com's bestseller entries to gauge interest
in particular programming platforms:
http://www.jroller.com/page/kalimantan/20030916#java_books_make_strong_showing

The last time I did that, In September 2003, Java had an extremely
strong showing and bested all other specific languages (although the
top spot was occupied by C++):
http://www.blueboard.com/phone/amazon.htm

Here's another updated look at the list, and again Java dominates the
list, with smatterings of C++, Perl, Python, and C. There was not one
single C# book in the entire top 25, nor any Visual Basic books:
http://www.blueboard.com/phone/amazon_2004_2_25.htm

#3 : Sun Certified Programmer & Developer for Java 2 Study Guide (Exam
310-035 & 310-027)
#15: Head First EJB
#19: Head First Java
#22: Java How to Program, Fifth Edition

All I can say is, keep on BUYING them Java books! Heheheh....

Thanks for the links, but I think there's a little more to this.

1) First off, C# and VB.NET are the newest languages of the ones you
mention...and adoption is far from hitting an apex.
2) Amazon isn't the only place people buy books. If it were, then the NY
Times bestseller list wouldn't be mentioned more than Amazon's.
3) There's tremendous documentation within VS.NET and tons after tons after
tons of Articles, Walkthroughs etc. While the same is true for most of the
languages you mention, everything is wrapped up very cleanly for you and one
could get pretty far in C#/VB.NET on the documentation alone.

And pardon the bravado, but don't real programmers know more than one or two
languages and don't they know more than one OS? With that said, why does
your original point matter at all?

 

[The Ghost In The Machine]

In comp.lang.java.advocacy, asj
<[email protected]>
wrote

From: http://www.jroller.com/page/kalimantan/20040225#java_again_dominates_amazon_com

Awhiles back, I used Amazon.com's bestseller entries to gauge interest
in particular programming platforms:
http://www.jroller.com/page/kalimantan/20030916#java_books_make_strong_showing

The last time I did that, In September 2003, Java had an extremely
strong showing and bested all other specific languages (although the
top spot was occupied by C++):
http://www.blueboard.com/phone/amazon.htm

Here's another updated look at the list, and again Java dominates the
list, with smatterings of C++, Perl, Python, and C. There was not one
single C# book in the entire top 25, nor any Visual Basic books:
http://www.blueboard.com/phone/amazon_2004_2_25.htm

#3 : Sun Certified Programmer & Developer for Java 2 Study Guide (Exam
310-035 & 310-027)
#15: Head First EJB
#19: Head First Java
#22: Java How to Program, Fifth Edition

All I can say is, keep on BUYING them Java books! Heheheh....

And you mean precisely what by this comment?

I'll admit I have no idea as to the accuracy of this metric
(although it's probably more accurate than some others),
but your comment can be spun two ways.

[1] Java is popular, Java is now, Java/J2EE/EJB is state
of the art. Everybody's buying Java books because
they want to learn Java, as opposed to C++, C#, Python,
Perl, assembly, Esperanto, or Swahili.

Or:

[2] C# is so easy to use one doesn't need books for its
logical, intuitive interface. C# and Visual Studio.NET
can be used by a first-grader/neophyte to be productive
instantly. C# and .NET can be used to implement
PetStore in 5 minutes, from concept to large-scale
deployment on an IIS server farm.

I'll admit I think [2] is a bunch of hooey...

 

[asj]

And you mean precisely what by this comment?

ahhh...little grasshopper...books last a lifetime, as does learning
the intricacies and wonder of the Java platform...plus, it impresses
the hell out of your friends and visiting neighbors ;-)

 

[ToddT]

your friends are impressed because you can read? "surprised" is
probably more accurate...

 

[The Ghost In The Machine]

In comp.lang.java.advocacy, asj
<[email protected]>
wrote

ahhh...little grasshopper...books last a lifetime, as does learning
the intricacies and wonder of the Java platform...plus, it impresses
the hell out of your friends and visiting neighbors ;-)

Books do last, but become obsolete the moment they're published.
As it is, I see two ways of spinning that result.

[1] Java is popular and useful.

[2] C# is intuitive; Java is so hard to learn that it requires a book
for the majority of people.

For various reasons I prefer [1].

 

[asj]

your friends are impressed because you can read? "surprised" is
probably more accurate...

heheh...actually, i have two bookshelves full of java books dating all
the way since 1995, and varying in subject from applets in the
beginning to J2ME today...it's fun to look at all the old books and
see how the platform has progressed in the years past.

here's the great thing, much of the stuff in those old years
(servlets, for example) are just as relevant today as at that time.
unlike microsoft technologies, which force people to upgrade
repeatedly via the microsoft treadmill (microsoft gotta make money off
your backs ya know), Java just keeps adding new exciting stuff to a
base core.

 

[ToddT]

how useful are those awt books?

heheh...actually, i have two bookshelves full of java books dating all
the way since 1995, and varying in subject from applets in the
beginning to J2ME today...it's fun to look at all the old books and
see how the platform has progressed in the years past.

here's the great thing, much of the stuff in those old years
(servlets, for example) are just as relevant today as at that time.
unlike microsoft technologies, which force people to upgrade
repeatedly via the microsoft treadmill (microsoft gotta make money off
your backs ya know), Java just keeps adding new exciting stuff to a
base core.

 

[asj]

not very, for me, since i work on J2EE (server) and J2ME (MIDP for
cellphones), but it's sorta cool for nostalgic reasons. might be
useful for developers coding using today's J2ME's personal profile
(for high end PDAs and smartphones) or who haven't moved to SWING or
SWT on the desktop though.

 

[ToddT]

i guess i was being too subtle...

not very, for me, since i work on J2EE (server) and J2ME (MIDP for
cellphones), but it's sorta cool for nostalgic reasons. might be
useful for developers coding using today's J2ME's personal profile
(for high end PDAs and smartphones) or who haven't moved to SWING or
SWT on the desktop though.

 

[asj]

really? - i thought you were just being dense and was in need of help:
awt is still being heavily used today as it was then, especially in
the new world of J2ME. on the other hand, just notice all the VB and
ASP people complaining about how they are on some microsoft run
treadmill - pseudo-hamsters you might say...for them, getting off the
treadmill and enjoying the freedom of open source and java would be
like a breath of fresh air away from the regimented (or should we say,
"managed world") world of microsoft....here's a red pill, and a blue
one...pick....