The rather dated “casual” approach did not work for me. I got more from this series of videos based on the book: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrhzvIcii6GNjpARdnO4ueTUAVR9eMBpc

One of the best software development books I have read. After more than a decade of programming, it made me rethink the Object Oriented Programming discipline. ( )

Very good reference. ( )

I bounced off Head First Java and decided the informal, jokey, playful HF approach didn't work for me; however, I gave it a second chance and purchased this book -- and wow, am I glad!

I have a work-based need to learn how to program in an object-oriented fashion (I've been pretty strictly a procedural Perl programmer for some years), and while I don't know that tackling design patterns is the typical first step for this, it's working well for me. I had two introductory programming courses in 2009-10 and the language of instruction was Java ... I've found it fairly easy to re-charge my Java background with this book, and move forward. Kudos! ( )

I was skeptical of the Head First series before I read this book due to its busy look and feel, but I was pleasantly surprised. It has made me feel comfortable with the most used design patterns in record time where other books failed. I highly recommend this book for helping you design better object-based systems. Be sure to implement the examples as you read for better understanding. ( )