Beginning Java Objects: From Concepts to Code [Paperback]

Jacquie Barker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2000 | Series: Programmer to Programmer

Among Java's many attractive features as a programming language, its object-oriented nature is key to creating powerful, reusable code and applications that are easy to maintain and extend. To take advantage of these capabilities, you're going to need not only to master the syntax of the Java language, but also to gain a practical understanding of what objects are all about, and more importantly, how to structure a Java application from the ground up to make the most of objects.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Learning to design objects effectively with Java is the goal of Beginning Java Objects: From Concepts to Code, an intensive yet approachable guide to object design, using UML and today's hottest programming language. Plenty of titles dig into the Java language in massive detail, but this one steps back and looks at object design first. The details of Java, from basic language features to a simple tutorial for building user interfaces in Swing, emerge only after a thorough tour of thinking in objects.

The book takes readers through object design, from the very beginning, at a relaxed pace. While you get all of the necessary jargon for really learning the object paradigm (for example, there's full coverage of such concepts as data encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism), the tutorial is likely to reach more readers. Without being doctrinaire about the design process, the author walks you through the steps for "discovering" objects in a business problem (including classes, attributes, and operations) and then determining how these objects work together to model real-world problems. The sample class diagrams offer quite a rich level of detail, and a single case study for a student course registration database demonstrates the design principles, including extensive class diagrams.

By the end of the book, this set of classes is transformed into working Java code, with a simple Swing-based user interface. Although the book cuts a few corners--such as using tab-delimited data instead of JDBC (a must for business programmers)--there's little doubt that this lively approach to mastering Java will benefit a wide range of readers. If ever you've been unsure about what object-oriented design really means, Beginning Java Objects can demystify important concepts and put the power of objects within your reach. --Richard Dragan

From the Publisher

This book is for anyone who wants to learn not only the Java 2 language, but also how to structure a problem properly from an object-oriented perspective. Even if you are already familiar with Java, this book will still be a valuable asset to you as you see an example case study evolve from its initial conception as an object model to implementation as a fully functional Java 2 application.

This book makes a GREAT "prequel" OR sequel to Ivor Horton's "Beginning Java 2", another top seller from Wrox Press, Ltd.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 665 pages
• Publisher: Apress (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1861004176
• ISBN-13: 978-1861004178
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,877,485 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jacquie Barker is a professional software engineer, author, and adjunct faculty member with both The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. With over 30 years of experience as a hands-on software developer and project manager, she has spent the past 15 years focusing on object technology, becoming proficient as an object modeler and Sun Microsystems certified Java programmer. Jacquie is also the founder of ObjectStart LLC, an object technology mentorship and training firm.

Jacquie's winning formula for teaching object fundamentals side-by-side with language syntax -- as reflected in her best selling books, "Beginning Java Objects: From Concepts to Code" and "Beginning C# Objects" (co-authored with Grant Palmer) -- continues to receive praise from readers around the world. Her latest book, "Taming the Technology Tidal Wave", is a light-hearted yet practical career guide for IT professionals.

In addition to teaching for GMU and GWU, Jacquie offers training in object/Java fundamentals to public and private sector organizations. Please visit her websites, objectstart.com and techtidalwave.com, for more information on her various publications and service offerings.

On a personal note, Jacquie devotes considerable time to animal rescue -- she volunteers for the Homeless Animals Rescue Team (HART) in Northern Virginia (www.hart90.org) as a member of the HART Cat Team, and is in the process of establishing her own non-profit to assist rescue groups with IT-related services (please visit petsbringjoy.org). She and her husband Steve share their home with four feline family members: Kwiddie, Tiffie, Walter, and Wynxie. :o)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good coverage of an extremely complex topic, March 3, 2001

By 

Benjamin Mofaz (Tel Aviv, Israel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beginning Java Objects: From Concepts to Code (Paperback)

When people who have not previously done object-oriented programming begin to learn Java, my experience has been that they mistakenly assume that learning the language itself is the only thing that they need to do. In reality, the most important thing (and in my opinion most difficult) is to learn how to create a good object-oriented design. Before they can create a good design, they need to understand object-oriented concepts and the tools that are available to them such as UML. Jacquie's book does an excellent job of introducing the reader to those concepts and explaining them clearly. It has been said that you cannot explain something well to another person unless you really understand it yourself. If that is the case, Ms. Barker clearly understands object design very well.

If you are learning Java or considering learning Java for the first time, I recommend reading these books in the following order:

Beginning Java 2 (Ivor Horton)

Professional Java Programming (Brett Spell)

Beginning Java Objects (Jacquie Barker)

These three Wrox titles complement one another very well, and are all well-written and easy to understand.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for non-Java progammers, too!, February 26, 2003

By 

Jason A. Salas (Dededo, Guam Guam) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beginning Java Objects: From Concepts to Code (Paperback)

In reading Barker's title, one gets an extraordinarily good education into the major considerations for object-oriented design. Although the book's title would imply that Java developers would benefit most, this is a great introductory manual to OOP and Java 2, and perfectly suited for other platforms, as well.

It's actually a very helpful, very educational, very entertaining look at object-oriented software design, at modeling, and at proper management of the process in which they are used to create great software applications.

Barker does a fantastic job of describing the process and life-cycle involved with designing and coding a system, and centers the concepts presented around an iterative practical application, a student registration system for college. She also bases her method of teaching concepts-first-and-then-code around pseudocode, so the reader isn't inundated by too much syntax while trying to grasp fundamental subjects. Barker also steps the reader through the procedural methods of designing an application, such as creating a vision document and glossary of system-specific terms.

In doing so, Barker also uses one of the friendliest voices in her writing that's truly a rarity in technical books these days.

Being an ASP.NET developer working almost exclusively in C#, I got a lot out of it. The Java syntax might be a stretch for VB devs; the book also makes for great recommended reading for those just starting to get into OOP or Java. I'd also recommend this book for Microsoft developers migrating up from Windows DNA and ASP 3.0 technologies, as it really does a good job of walking you through OOP/OOD, which in my opinion has proven to be THE major hurdle for many devs in embracing .NET.

The only downside I can see about this book is that because of the title, developers non-Java other platforms and disciplines will unfairly look past it, and therefore miss out on the important lessons contained within its pages. The book's key strength lies in the chapters on designing use case scenarios and UML diagrams, which I really enjoyed.

It's these unexpected advantages that have put this book in a prominent place in my home library that keep it easily within reach.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Start Here!, May 22, 2001

By 

Student (Northridge) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Beginning Java Objects: From Concepts to Code (Paperback)

Being new to programming, and wanting to get off to a good start, I agonized over which book to begin with. Should I start with Deitel's "Java: How to Program?" Or how about Horton's "Beginning Java 2"? Or maybe Schildt's entry level java text? It was all so confusing! Then I happened upon this excellent book, and I knew immediately that this was the one.

Let's face it, in today's programming world the OO paradigm is where it's at. Unfortunately, however, many introductory books focus on code first and object oriented thinking second. This is completely wrong!

As children, we learn the concepts of words first, and then later, in school, we learn how to properly organize those concepts into prose. Should it be any different in learning a programming language? I think not.

The fact is that one must have a solid understanding of the object oriented paradigm before one can really be an effective programmer, and this book provides the reader with just such an understanding. It is very readable--fascinating, even--and will allow one to better understand what the many fine "introductory" java books such as those mentioned above are really taking about.