Java by Dissection: The Essentials of Java Programming [Textbook Binding]

Ira Pohl (Author), Charlie McDowell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 22, 1999

Enlisting the best-selling "by dissection" method of instruction, this book teaches programming techniques and presents the Java language in a sound and structured manner that is appropriate for both novice and seasoned programmers. It presents a thorough introduction to the programming process by carefully developing working programs to illuminate key features of the Java programming language. Program code is explained in an easy-to-follow manner throughout. This book presents readers with a clear and thorough introduction to the programming process by carefully developing working Java programs using the method of dissection. A dissection is similar to a structured walk-through of the code, with the intention of explaining to the reader newly encountered programming elements and idioms as found in working code. Key ideas are reinforced throughout by use in different contexts.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

stressing programming style and methodology. It assumes no prior programming experience, making it ideal for readers who are starting out in their software development careers as well as programmers who want to expand their skills.

Teaching "by Dissection" Java by Dissection stresses working code, introducing full working programs from the start. In each chapter a program particularly illustrative of the chapters themes is presented and then analyzed by dissection, Ira Pohls trademark code presentation technique which illustrates the

underlying structure of programs. This dissection of code helps readers comprehend newly

encountered programming elements and idioms.

Traditional and Object-Oriented Programming Java by Dissection begins by explaining how all the basic data types and control statements are used traditionally, and then progresses to the object-oriented features of the Java language and their importance to program design. This gradual introduction to OOP ensures that novices attain an understanding of programming basics before moving onto Javas object-oriented features.

Advanced Topics The second-half of Java by Dissection explains in detail much that is sophisticated about Java, such as its threading, GUI, exception handling, and file manipulation capabilities. As such it is appropriate if you are looking for an advanced book or a book with excellent reference value.

About the Author

Ira Pohl is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Santa Cruz and holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University. His research interests include artificial intelligence, the C and C++ programming languages, practical complexity problems, heuristic search methods, deductive algorithms, and educational and social issues. He originated error analysis in heuristic search methods and deductive algorithms. Professor Pohl was formerly a Mackay professor at University of California- Berkeley and a ZWO fellow in the Netherlands. He is the author or co-author of Object-Oriented Programming Using C++, C++ Distilled: A Concise Ansi/Iso Reference and Style Guide, C by Dissection: The Essentials of C Programming, A Book on C: Programming in C, C++ for C Programmers, C++ for Fortran Programmers, C++ for Pascal Programmers, and Turbo C: The Essentials of C Programming, all published by Addison-Wesley. Charlie McDowell is an Associate Professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz and holds a Ph.D. degree in Computer Science from the University of California, San Diego. He is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery and of the IEEE Computer Society. When not teaching or writing, he can be found playing trombone with a number of local musical groups. 0201612488AB04062001

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Textbook Binding: 509 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley; 1 edition (October 22, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201612488
• ISBN-13: 978-0201612486
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,658,033 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It is here and browsable., November 30, 1999

By 

Ira Pohl or Debra Dolsberry - See all my reviews

This review is from: Java by Dissection: The Essentials of Java Programming (Textbook Binding)

The book is available and as the author I would suggest you come to cse.ucsc.edu/~pohl and look for the first three chapters which are downloadable as pdf to see if this suits your taste. Key features are teaching by dissection, just like my other books; several advanced examples using SWING and threading with a great introduction to synchronization largely written by Charlie McDowell an expert in this area; and our own terminal IO package.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction to Java, December 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Java by Dissection: The Essentials of Java Programming (Textbook Binding)

I used this book to learn Java and found it very clear. It provides more of an introduction to programming than Sun's online tutorial. If you are already familiar with programming in C++, you can probably skip the first few chapters. The more advanced topics in the rest of the book prepares you to effectively use Sun's online tutorial for the more specialized uses of Java.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clear and Concise Introduction to Java, March 20, 2002

By 

Justin Noel (Santa Cruz, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Java by Dissection: The Essentials of Java Programming, Updated Edition (Paperback)

One of the worst qualities of computer books is their length. For some reason most books decide to talk about functions for 189 pages and what an integer is for 35. This book offers a clear introduction to the java language and manages to be less than an inch thick. The book is very well formatted and ordered and is pretty pleasant to read. And thankfully it is content to give one good sized example rather than 6 long cryptic ones.
However it is not an effective advanced reference. It fails to talk about RMI, JNI and reflection which are very useful advanced concepts that I would like to hear about from these authors.