Java in a Nutshell - Softcover

Flanagan, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1565924878 ISBN 13: 9781565924871

Publisher: O'Reilly & Associates, 1999

Synopsis

A reference guide for beginning programmers offers an accelerated introduction to Java 1.2, 1.3, and essential APIs while covering syntax, object-oriented features, and the Java development tools shipped with Sun's Java SDK. Original. (Beginner/Intermediate)

About this title

Review

The 3rd edition of the well-known reference, Java in a Nutshell, covers the essential APIs of Java 1.2, including networking, security, input and output, and basic language and utility classes. Due to the size of the Java 1.2 API, graphics and graphical user interface classes are now examined in a volume called Java Foundation Classes in a Nutshell, and server-side and enterprise programming are detailed in Java Enterprise in a Nutshell.

Though primarily a reference, the book starts off with a thorough, fast-paced introduction to Java, exploring all the key topics, including syntax, object-oriented programming, security, beans, and tools. These discussions are brief and very information-dense, and if you are buying this book to learn the language, you will probably be overwhelmed by the speed of this initiation.

This book intends to document quite a bit of Java, and it easily succeeds with broad coverage of Java programming in Part I, and API cataloging broken down by package in Part II. For example, discussions in Part I explain Types, Reflection, and Dynamic Loading. The handling of these topics takes a little over a page, but the book gives a useful overview with code examples that clearly illustrate the points made. It is one of the clearest and most concise treatments of these three topics available.

The chapters in Part II include an introduction, diagrams, and sections for each class in the package. The sections for each class can be very informative, as in the discussion of the Socket class in the java.net chapter, which includes how to instantiate a Socket object, getting I/O streams from the object you instantiated, and how to alter the behavior of sockets. This discussion, like most in this book, is brief, clear, and to the point.

If you are looking for a Java reference, this is a solid volume that will provide lasting value. --John Keogh

Topics covered: Part I, "Introducing Java," provides broad coverage of Java programming topics, including data types, syntax, classes, and objects; Java file structure; inner classes; interfaces; packages; creating and initializing objects; destroying and finalizing objects; input/output; cryptography; networking; security; threads; JavaBeans; JavaDoc; and tools that come with Java 1.2 SDK.

Part II, "The Java API Quick Reference," includes chapters on the following Java packages: java.beans, java.beans.beancontext, java.io, java.lang, java.lang.ref, java.lang.reflect, java.math, java.net, java.security, java.security.acl, java.security.cert, java.security.interfaces, java.security.spec, java.text, java.util, java.util.jar, java.util.zip, javax.crypto, javax.crypto.interfaces, javax.crypto.spec, and a final chapter, which provides an index for classes, methods, and fields.

From the Publisher

The bestselling Java in a Nutshell has been updated to cover Java 1.1. If you're a Java programmer who is migrating to 1.1, this second edition contains everything you need to get up to speed on the new features of Java 1.1. Or if you are just now jumping on the Java bandwagon, Java in a Nutshell still has all of the features that have made it the Java book most often recommended on the Internet. An advanced introduction to Java for C and C++ programmers teaches you everything you need to know about the language, while the complete quick-reference contains descriptions of all of the classes in the core Java 1.1 API. Java in a Nutshell also fully describes the syntax of the Java language, making it the only quick reference that a Java programmer needs. The second edition of Java in a Nutshell covers Version 1.1 of the Java Development Kit (JDK). It includes all of the material from the first edition, as well as the following updated information for Java 1.1: A detailed overview of all of the new features in Java 1.1, both on a package-by-package basis and in terms of overall functionality. A comprehensive tutorial on "inner classes" that explains how to use all of the new types of inner classes: static member classes, member classes, local classes, and anonymous classes. Practical, real-world example programs that demonstrate the new features in Java 1.1, including object serialization, the new AWT event handling model, internationalization, and a sample Java Bean. A complete quick reference for all of the classes, methods, and variables in the core Java 1.1 API. The quick-reference pages include indicators that make it easy to find the new 1.1 material. In addition, cross-reference material is now provided directly on each reference page. With the 1.1 release, Java has grown too large to fit in a single book, even in quick-reference form. Thus, Java in a Nutshell is being split into multiple volumes. This volume, the "original" Java in a Nutshell, documents the most commonly used features of Java and is an indispensable reference for all Java programmers. A separate, forthcoming book, Java Enterprise in a Nutshell, will cover the Java "Enterprise APIs," including JDBC, RMI, and security. And as other new Java APIs are developed and released, you can be sure that we'll be creating new volumes for the Java in a Nutshell series.

Edition details

• Publisher: O'Reilly & Associates
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 1565924878
• ISBN 13: 9781565924871
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 648