A tricky aspect of Java is the way classes are related, so it's great to see a whole chapter devoted to the subject early on. Even more opaque is the explicit use of threads in Java. Again, this is covered in an accessible way, especially the discussion on thread synchronisation. The authors cover basic graphics, video handling and other media in Java before moving on to Beans and the builder environment, stopping short of JavaBeans. The book finishes with a section on applets, the Java plugin and digital signatures. There is, though, no feeling of working toward a goal--perhaps this would have been a better book with a project as a theme. Another odd decision is ignoring the several--some free--Java IDEs generally used to program Java. (Neimeyer makes a point of saying he hasn't discussed them but without saying why. Even beginners find Java more accessible in a programming environment.)

Still, Learning Java, which uses Java2 v1.3, does a competent job of introducing Java to beginners. As with most O'Reilly books, it's authoritative, lucid and well edited, though it may fail to inspire in the reader the presumed enthusiasm for Java felt by the authors. You won't go wrong with this one, and its coverage of object oriented programming issues is particularly good --Steve Patient

Book Description
Part of O'Reilly's definitive set of Java documentation,
Learning Java introduces the basics of Java, the object-oriented programming language for networked applications from Sun Microsystems. This book provides a broad survey of the Java 2 Standard Edition and contains everything necessary to get up to speed quickly. It covers the essentials of hot topics like Swing and JFC; describes new tools for signing applets and other Java classes; and shows how to write networked clients and servers, servlets, JavaBeans, and state-of-the-art user interfaces.

Java started out as a tool for creating animated web pages, but it's proven to be much more. Java is now used for everything from sophisticated web clients to mission-critical enterprise applications. In the future, Java will become the basis for a new generation of distributed software that runs on devices ranging from cell phones to supercomputers. In the practical, hands-on approach characteristic of O'Reilly, Learning Java demonstrates why Java is now the language of choice for building the next generation of computer software.

Includes a CD-ROM containing the example code and JBuilder for Windows and Solaris.

Learning Java covers:

History and principles of Java

How to write simple applets and applications

How to integrate applets into the World Wide Web

Java Fundamental Class (JFC) and Swing Libraries

Using threads

Using arrays

Network programming with sockets

Remote Method Invocation

Servlets

Signing applets

Creating a security policy

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