Just JavaTM 2 (6th Edition): J2SE 1.5 Edition eBook: Peter van der Linden: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Amazon.co.uk Review

Peter van der Linden's Just Java 2 is an excellent introduction to the Java platform, especially for those with some existing programming skills. This new edition is based on the JDK (Java Development Kit) 1.4 release, and packs in a comprehensive guide to the language and the core class libraries. The author is a former Sun employee and knows his subject backwards. He also injects some humour and personality into his writing, and includes regular "light relief" sections covering wacky topics such as the Java toaster that burns a weather forecast onto every slice. Readers soon know that he loves Java, likes the Apple Macintosh and hates Microsoft, but fortunately nothing gets in the way of the clear and insightful teaching. In general this is a particularly clear and readable programming guide.

The book begins with a brief overview, going on to explain object-oriented programming and the basics of the language. There is a full explanation of packages and how the JVM finds classes, often a tricky area for Java beginners. The author offers detailed coverage of fundamental topics such as threads, input/output, networking and Java Beans, making this a book that will be used for reference as well as for learning. On other topics, such as XML programming, Servlets or database access with JDBC, the book is more introductory. Several chapters cover graphical client applications, event handling and the use of JFC and Swing, laying a firm foundation for building a Java visual interface. There are lots of code examples, both in print and on the accompanying CD.

Overall, this is a solid, professional and authoritative tutorial which has more depth than many lighter-weight alternatives.--Tim Anderson

Product Description

The #1 introduction to J2SE 1.5 and enterprise/server-side development!

An international bestseller for eight years, Just Java™ 2 is the complete, accessible Java tutorial for working programmers at all levels. Fully updated and revised, this sixth edition is more than an engaging overview of Java 2 Standard Edition (J2SE 1.5) and its libraries: it’s also a practical introduction to today’s best enterprise and server-side programming techniques. Just Java™ 2, Sixth Edition, reflects both J2SE 1.5 and the latest Tomcat and servlet specifications. Extensive new coverage includes:

New chapters on generics and enumerated types
New coverage of Web services, with practical examples using Google and Amazon Web services
Simplified interactive I/O with printf()
Autoboxing and unboxing of primitive types
Static imports, foreach loop construct, and other new language features

Peter van der Linden delivers expert advice, clear explanations, and crisp sample programs throughout–including dozens new to this edition. Along the way, he introduces:

The core language: syntax, objects, interfaces, nested classes, compiler secrets, and much more
Key libraries: date and calendar, pattern matching, network software, mapped I/O, utilities and generic collections
Server-side technology: network server systems, a complete tiny HTML Web server, and XML in Java
Enterprise J2EE: Sql and JDBC™ tutorial, servlets and JSP and much more
Client-side Java: fundamentals of JFC/Swing GUI development, new class data sharing details

Companion Web Site

All the book’s examples and sample programs are available at http://afu.com.

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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

Entertaining, clear but aimed at those with some experience 11 Mar 2002

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

The backcover blurb describes van der Linden as "[w]riting for real programmers". It's fair to say that if you have no programming experience, this book may be a little dense for you.
However, that's not to say it's obscure. I am not an experienced programmer and I found it useful. It starts off with an overview of the features of Java, then concisely explains object orientation and other basic Java features such as packages and threading in the first dozen chapters.
van der Linden frequently draws comparisons with how things work in C/C++, which is presumably more helpful for those with experience in those languages. However, I didn't find this too offputting as it often illuminates what difficulties Java is designed to overcome. There are frequent illustrations and boxouts to aid comprehension - a typical title is "What problems do interfaces solve?".
The rest of the book covers major APIs, GUI programming and more advanced topics such as using XML, SQL and JavaBeans. It seems to offer a fairly comprehensive guide to Java and you could probably teach yourself to a high level with this book.
I enjoyed the "Light Relief" sections at the end of each chapter, which introduce entertaining Java programs and topics such as rigging online polls with Java! There is also wry commentary on the software business.
The book is accompanied by a CD-ROM with source code, many good example programs and some more light relief material. Unfortunately, although the 5th edition text covers the latest JDK (1.4), some of the programs do not seem to run using this environment, which could disappoint beginners. I was surprised that the disk did not include the latest JRE (particularly since this seems to be an official Sun book) but does include other tools such as the GNU C++ compiler!
There are brief exercises at the end of some chapters which are enough to test your comprehension (I found I needed to re-read some of the more theoretical chapters), although there are no answers provided.
In summary, I would recommend this book for those with a little (or a lot) of coding experience who want to learn Java in depth, but not as an introduction to programming in general.

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

Excellent 17 Sep 2004

The authors years of practical experience and entertaining style of writing combine to make this a *must read* for those new to Java and veterans who want to take advantage of the features 1.5 has to offer.This is the first edition of the book I've bought and will definitely place future editions on my purchase list.The author explains each part of the language in a clear and easy to follow manner and re-enforces each chapter with code snippets. Later chapters cover topics essential to successful mastery of the language.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

Just Java 2 10 July 2002

By K.V.Shail

I found this book ideally matched to my abilities being a not-very-expert programmer having a background in Assembler and C.
I had previously been struggling with two other well-known books on Java and this one made Java OOP much more clear.
It is an easy-to-read goldmine of information on the core subject and other peripherals such as Applets, Servalets, SQL, XML and GUIs.
My only critisism would be a very minor one that the publishers should have considered splitting it in two volumes to reduce the weight.
Certainly worth the price.