July 5, 2023
Android - Books!
I like books.
Could you learn Android development solely from online resources?
No doubt you could.
A lot of the online resources are confusing and/or out of date.
With a book, you have a coherent resource that has (if it is any good)
been examined by many sets of eyes (and brains), and perhaps even a
good editor.
But, I like books.
Sometimes I have had enough of sitting in front of a screen.
A book I can read in a comfortable chair, or take with me to read in
a waiting room, and so forth.
Kotlin in Action - 2017
This is a good book, written by people who know what they are talking about.
The greatest weakness is that it is written for someone who is alreay an
experienced Android developer and who has been working with Java.
What is someone to do who is new to the whole scene
(or like me who has hated and avoided Java all their life)?
How to Build Android Apps with Kotlin - 2023
I like this book more and more as I spend time with it.
It is very up to date (it references Android 13).
It emphasizes a "hands on" approach by the reader.
Android UI Development with Jetpack Compose - 2022
"Compose" is new and different. I am hoping this will be a good book and
give a decent view of the whole business without the "lost in the
forest and can't see the trees" problem that so many online resources
have. It is published by "Packt" like the above book and is up to date.
Java - A Beginners Guide - 2022
By Herbert Schildt, 9th edition.
I probably could have skipped this book and
just picked up the next one.
Java - The Complete Reference - 2022
By Herbert Schildt, 12th edition.
This guy is a good writer. In the introduction he seems to come across
as a "Java fanboy", but this doesn't seem to pervade the book.
I used to own the "Core Java" books, but gave them away (and the
versions I had were getting quite dated). I like these better.
I decided I needed a Java book (or two) as I began working with
"Kotlin in Action" since there are so many references back to how
things are done with Java. I hate Java. Kotlin has fixed that,
mostly, but the Java roots in Android go deep.
Professional Android 4 application development - 2012
Another out of date book from the Java era.
I have gotten a fair bit of use out of it.
It is the sort of computer book I usually try to avoid.
Too thick and with a flashy cover (red eyed robot).
Better than I expected. Some things in Android have not
changed, so this may still deserve space on my bookshelf.
Programming Android - 2012
An O'Reilly book from the Java era.
Definitely out of date, but may still have its uses.
I have gotten very little use out of it and probably
wasted my money.
Have any comments? Questions?
Drop me a line!
Adventures in Computing / tom@mmto.org