The Java Programming Language [Paperback]

This book is just outstanding when it comes to class design. This title will definitely let any reader do more with classes, whether you want to make use of such features as "anonymous inner classes", reflection (for loading classes dynamically), or do more with interfaces (including extending interfaces, and even tricks to change data members in interfaces).

Standout sections here include a complete guide to Java language statements, including keywords, literals and support for Unicode. Later sections feature a nicely clear explanation of Java's complicated I/O classes, a fine tutorial on threading and a solid introduction to using Java's collection classes. The book closes with a tour of some additional "core" Java packages that are available in the language.

In all, this up-to-the-minute guide to some of the more complex features in today's Java fills a valuable niche for any Java developer. Besides providing a glimpse into what the Java team at Sun is up to, this authoritative resource can help you master the finer points of class design, as well as make the most out of newly added features in the new JDK 1.3 standard. --Richard Dragan, Amazon.com

Topics covered: Quickstart overview of Java, class and object design in Java, access control, construction and initialisation, static methods, method overloading, class inheritance, redefining members, the protected keyword, the strictfp keyword and floating point processing, cloning objects, interfaces (constants, methods and modifiers), extending interfaces, marker interfaces, nested classes and interfaces (including static nested types, inner classes and anonymous inner classes), tokens, operators and expressions in Java, literals, keywords, operator precedence, control flow, Java exception handling, exception classes, the String and StringBuffer classes, threads, synchronisation APIs and techniques (scheduling, thread groups and thread local storage), the wrapper classes for Number types, Java reflection, loading classes, garbage collection (GC algorithms, finalisation and reachability states), packages, JavaDoc documentation tags, tour of Java I/O stream classes, serialisation techniques, new and legacy Java collections, misc. utility classes, system programming with properties, processes and JVM shutdown; internationalisation and localisation techniques, and tour of additional Java core packages. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Direct from the creators of the Java™ programming language, the completely revised fourth edition of The Java™ Programming Language is an indispensable resource for novice and advanced programmers alike.

Developers around the world have used previous editions to quickly gain a deep understanding of the Java programming language, its design goals, and how to use it most effectively in real-world development. Now, Ken Arnold, James Gosling, and David Holmes have updated this classic to reflect the major enhancements in Java™ 2 Standard Edition 5.0 (J2SE™ 5.0).

The authors systematically cover most classes in Java’s main packages, java.lang.*, java.util, and java.io, presenting in-depth explanations of why these classes work as they do, with informative examples. Several new chapters and major sections have been added, and every chapter has been updated to reflect today’s best practices for building robust, efficient, and maintainable Java software.

Key changes in this edition include

• New chapters on generics, enums, and annotations, the most powerful new language features introduced in J2SE 5.0
• Changes to classes and methods throughout to reflect the addition of generics
• Major new sections on assertions and regular expressions
• Coverage of all the new language features, from autoboxing and variable argument methods to the enhanced for-loop and covariant return types
• Coverage of key new classes, such as Formatter and Scanner

The Java™ Programming Language, Fourth Edition, is the definitive tutorial introduction to the Java language and essential libraries and an indispensable reference for all programmers, including those with extensive experience. It brings together insights you can only get from the creators of Java: insights that will help you write software of exceptional quality.