Another common argument is about whether to start with applications or applets. The argument for applets is that some of the boilerplate code surrounding minimal applications can be avoided, and that graphics can be treated early. The argument for starting with applications is that graphics and applets are advanced features that don't make full sense until a lot of issues have been dealt with.
It is true that starting with applets allows for a quicker introduction of graphics, and that graphics can be a strong motivation for studying Java. However, starting with applets and graphics in a do-it-yourself tutorial is not that easy. It involves dealing with HTML, loading code via Web pages, and writing code which cooperates with a browser, which is more complex than coping with the small amount of obscure code needed for minimal applications. In addition, in the tutorial, ideas must be introduced one by one, a certain amount of study really is necessary before getting into graphics, and treating graphics properly means that applets naturally fall into place later on. There are also practical problems. How do you test an applet or graphics program automatically? Thorny problems like this are best left until programmers have plenty of basic knowledge and self confidence.
This means that starting with applications is by far the most logical route to take. Fortunately, this is not too serious a disadvantage. The easy navigation provided by Web pages makes it easy to skip ahead for impatient or clever readers.