Reviews for Java Collections: An Introduction to Abstract Data Types, Data Structures and Algorithms

1. Bugs

   Rated 2 out of 5 stars, September 12th, 2007

   As well as agreeing with the previous reviews, I feel it is also worth noting that should one try and use a lot of the code from the companion website (which the book frequently ponts to) they will encounter several bugs. I've been using his code for an Adjacency set graph and I have spent days trying to find small bugs that just should not have been there.
   Very frustrating.

2. A Complex subject, does nothing to clear up understanding.

   Rated 2 out of 5 stars, February 12nd, 2005

   Data structures and algorithms is a complex subject, but this book doesn't really help in clearing up the understanding, particularly to students like myself. At the start of our Java module we were told to get this book, which was out of print. I can now see why it was.

   The language of any subject in the book is dressed up to the eyeballs with formal language which makes even simple statements appear complex and requiring lots of thought.

   For example. "A string is a sequence of characters. The characters of a string have consecutive indicies." Now I know what a string it, it simply can be thought of as a sentence, it isn't difficult. But imagine you are someone who is approaching the subject with no priot knowledge, you would have to think hard about what the book is saying before you get it.

   With other subjects in the book, like time complexity, a lot of assumptions are made about the readers knowledge, particularly in the mathematical field. If you don't know what the, "Fastest Growing Term" is, or the, "Constant Factor" you're stuck! Another example is on power algorithms. The books states, "It is easy to see that b to the power of 20 = b to the power of 10 + b to the power of 10." But is it easy? I certainly don't like things like this being assumed. If I think about it, it does make sense, but it isn't obvious.

   Basically, as a student, this book wasn't really suitable for me or my fellow students.