Customer Reviews

Java Fundamental Classes Reference (Java Series)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book documents version 1.0.2 of JDK. Sun is up to version 1.3 and has made dramatic additions since 1.0.2. Don't buy something so out of date.

As others have pointed out, there isn't much here that isn't in the freely available JDK documentation. Also, most computer books lag behind the actual software they cover. There are a few indispensable "classic" computer books out there, but they're all about stuff like UNIX, TCP/IP, and C, targets that don't move as quickly as Java does.

But I don't think I'm the only professional programmer in the world who appreciates having printed documentation. It's handy to be able to take a book on the road, or to the nearest couch, and flip through the pages at my leisure. I like putting a finger in one page and a pencil in another while I flip to a few cross-references. I doubt that online docs will ever really replace the Real Thing for me.

O'Reilly is one of the two or three best computer book publishers out there (Addison-Wesley and Prentice-Hall are also excellent, but pricey). This book is typical of O'Reilly's stuff: practical, dependable and inexpensive. I do Java GUI programming full-time, and I've used this book a lot. So far as I can tell, every method for every class is covered at just the right level of detail. If you want an authoritative, exhaustive reference that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, look no further.

If you do not have the javadoc API reference, this book will be very helpful. But this is not the case for most Java programmers. The book does offer things more than what you have in the html javadoc, however, they are VERY limited. As the dynamic html reference gets richer in each 1.1.x release, the benefit of buying this hardcopy deminishes. The samples in this book are largely overstated. They are more of decorations rather than real things.

In short, be cautious. If the book description makes you consider buying this book, you'd better find it in a nearby bookstore and read several pages first - to make sure this is what you want.

Hello, My name is Johnathan Mark Smith from the Staten Island Java Group This book is hot !!! If you are a real java programmer this book has to be on your desk. It is pack with anything you would went to know about the JDK 1.1

This book contains everything about JDK 1.1.x Core API that the javadoc doesn't tell you. Ever wanted to know the size and load factor of a Hashtable using the default constructor? This book is especially strong in that it includes a "readable" section giving a very good overview of the language and uses for the particular core classes as detailed by the reference section

This book does not worth your money. This is very much like the API doc on the web, there is NO example. Better save your money to find a better ref book such as the Chan & Lee...