Java in a Nutshell, Deluxe Edition (In a Nutshell (O'Reilly)) [Deluxe Edition] [Paperback]

David Flanagan (Author)

Book Description

Series: In a Nutshell (O'Reilly) | Publication Date: June 8, 1997

Java in a Nutshell, Deluxe Edition is a Java programmer's dream come true in one small package. The heart of this Deluxe Edition is the Java Reference Library on CD-ROM, which brings together five volumes for Java developers and programmers, linking related info across books. It includes: Exploring Java, 2nd Edition, Java Language Reference, 2nd Edition, Java Fundamental Classes Reference, Java AWT Reference, and Java in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition, included both on the CD-ROM and in a companion desktop edition. Java in a Nutshell, Deluxe Edition is an indispensable resource for anyone doing serious programming with Java 1.1.

The Java Reference Library alone is also available by subscription on the World Wide Web. Please see http://online-books.oreilly.com/books/​javaref/ for details.

The electronic text on the Web and on the CD is fully searchable and includes a complete index to all five volumes. It also includes the sample code found in the printed volumes.

Exploring Java, 2nd Edition introduces the basics of Java 1.1 and offers a clear, systematic overview of the language. It covers the essentials of hot topics like Beans and RMI, as well as writing applets and other applications, such as networking programs, content and protocol handlers, and security managers.

The Java Language Reference, 2nd Edition is a complete reference that describes all aspects of the Java language, including syntax, object-oriented programming, exception handling, multithreaded programming, and differences between Java and C/C++. The second edition covers the new language features that have been added in Java 1.1, such as inner classes, class literals, and instance initializers.

The Java Fundamental Classes Reference provides complete reference documentation on the core Java 1.1 classes that comprise the java.lang, java.io, java.net, java.util, java.text, java.math, java.lang.reflect, and java.util.zip packages. These classes provide general-purpose functionality that is fundamental to every Java application.

The Java AWT Reference provides complete reference documentation on the Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT), a large collection of classes for building graphical user interfaces in Java.

Java in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition, the bestselling book on Java and the one most often recommended on the Internet, is a complete quick-reference guide to Java, containing descriptions of all of the classes in the Java 1.1 core API, with a definitive listing of all methods and variables, with the exception of the still-evolving Enterprise APIs. These APIs will be covered in a future volume.

Highlights of the library include:

• History and principles of Java
• How to integrate applets into the World Wide Web
• A detailed look into Java's style of object-oriented programming
• Detailed coverage of all the essential classes in java.lang, java.io, java.util, java.net, java.awt
• Using threads
• Network programming
• Content and protocol handling
• A detailed explanation of Java's image processing mechanisms
• Material on graphics primitives and rendering techniques
• Writing a security manager

System requirements: The CD-ROM is readable on all Windows and UNIX platforms. Current implementations of the Java Virtual Machine for the Mac platform do not support the Java search applet in this CD-ROM. Mac users can purchase the World Wide Web version (see http://online-books.oreilly.com/books/​javaref/ for more information). A Web browser that supports HTML 3.2, Java, and JavaScript, such as Netscape 3.0 or Internet Explorer 3.0, is required.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The release of Java 1.1 brings many new features to the Java language. Java in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition, a worthy successor to the author's bestselling first edition of the book, offers an excellent way to keep up with most of them.

You'll find that the second edition carries over many strong points from the original, including a quick-start introduction to Java for C or C++ programmers and the handy quick-reference format. It also details the many new features of Java 1.1, including extensions to the object model and the new release of the Abstract Windowing Toolkit (AWT), Inner Classes, Java Beans, and Java ARchive (JAR) files. The book does not attempt to cover "enterprise" application programming interfaces (API), such as Java's new commerce-related security features, Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) and Remote Method Invocation (RMI). The author plans to document these features in a separate volume.

The second half of Java in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition, is a quick reference to all the packages that comprise the Java API. In the course of over 300 pages, the author introduces each package with a summary and a graphical hierarchy diagram. He then documents each package's component classes and interfaces in detail. For cases where you know the name of a class, but not its package, an index of classes, methods, and fields provide a useful cross-reference to the packages that contain them. This edition removes some of the example code of the previous edition, but provides many samples that cover new language features. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

O'Reilly books are rarely for neophytes, but advanced users swear by them, and these will be no exception. Englander covers a hot Java subtopic for students, programmers, and professionals already familar with Java and object-oriented programming. He discusses events, event adapters, properties, persistence, java archive files, the BeanBox tool, property editors, ActiveX, and the java.beans Package. Flanagan's work is the book Java programmers want nearby when they are at the keyboard. A complete ready-reference work, this belongs in all collections supporting programmers. Java is a constantly changing language so Nutshell will be coming out often with new editions; always have the newest one on hand. Reese goes beyond simple applet design to relational databases, SQL, object-oriented database applications, application servers, and remote object manipulation. The examples used throughout the book are based on a banking application designed in Java.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 628 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 2 Pap/Com edition (June 8, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565923049
• ISBN-13: 978-1565923041
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (101 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,607,222 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Flanagan is a computer programmer who has spent much of the last 20 years writing books about programming languages. He now works at Mozilla. David lives with his wife and children in the Pacific Northwest, between the cities of Seattle and Vancouver.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

88 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm VERY impressed! He nailed it with the 3rd edition., December 17, 1999

By 

"bdunn" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Java in a Nutshell : A Desktop Quick Reference (Java Series) (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

This book is my new favorite Java book. This book is probably my new favorite technical book. It's simply an excellent example of what a technical reference book should be.

The first quarter of the book is a very good introduction to Java, the syntax, as well as object oriented programming (OOP). The syntax and OOP portions of the book are the best I've seen in any book. If you are new to Java, reading through these sections carefully will teach you almost everything you'll need to know about the Java language. The third edition of the book doesn't assume a C/C++ background, so even those with limited or no programming experience will find this section very helpful.

Next you'll find excellent coverage of the Java platform. The bulk of the book is a reference of the different Java classes in JDK 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, and even 1.3Beta. The coverage is excellent. I would have liked to see examples, but I suppose that really is asking too much from one book.

I have a large library of Java books, but this one is #1 for me. Shelf time for this book is going to be very low. The book literally hasn't seen a shelf since it arrived from Amazon.

There are several Java books I find to be far superior to others. For anyone new to the Java language, I believe the following are the very best books to have nearby (ranked in order): Java in a Nutshell, 3rd... Java Examples in a Nutshell... Java Foundation Classes in a Nutshell... Java Enterprise in a Nutshell... The Java Class Libraries, 2nd, Vol 1. by Patrick Chan

Obviously, I'm a fan of David Flanagan's Java books (he wrote the top four). Pick one up to see why. They are all excellent, but my favorite is this one (JavaNut 3rd edition). The set of four Flanagan books easily comprise the best resource on Java available.

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent but no AWT, May 4, 2000

By 

David Matuszek "Dr. Dave" (Malvern, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Java in a Nutshell : A Desktop Quick Reference (Java Series) (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

There have been three editions of this book, all of them excellent reference books but too condensed to be great tutorials.

The first edition had everything you needed to know about Java 1.0, including AWT (the GUI) descriptions and example programs; but a lot has changed since Java 1.0, which is basically only good for writing applets. Still, many browsers can only handle Java 1.0.

The second edition covered Java 1.1 and the AWT, but the examples were split off into a second book, "Java Examples in a Nutshell." IMHO the second edition is the best single-source reference book.

Much has been added in Java 1.2/1.3, but the Java 1.1 basics have not changed. This third edition further splits off the GUI information (including the new Swing classes) into "Java Foundation Classes in a Nutshell," and as such cannot stand on its own for GUI programming. Enterprise programming is also split off. For what it covers, each edition keeps getting better, but also narrows its coverage.

While the book is an excellent reference, a paper reference is no longer the best programming support. Once you have learned Java basics, the best way to program is with Sun's online documentation open on your desktop--IF you have a fast internet connection or can download the whole thing to your hard drive. You get faster lookup and detailed descriptions of every method, rather than just lists of methods.

Bottom line: a great book, but consider carefully whether its coverage meets your needs.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Utterly invaluable reference though NOT for beginners, July 19, 2000

By 

robert nt stewart - See all my reviews

This review is from: Java in a Nutshell : A Desktop Quick Reference (Java Series) (3rd Edition) (Paperback)

Imagine going to the awesome javasoft website and compressing it into 500-odd pages. This is Java in a Nutshell.

As a programmer who needs classes and methods at my fingertips, I don't want to be forever logged into the Sun site to get hold of code. For me using VJava, DB2, Lotus Notes etc, to keep Netscape open permanently slows me down. I want to see code in concise paper form for perusing and for adding post-it notes to useful pages.

This book is a good physical size, about the size of a good novel, and thus is refreshingly concise. You genuinely can put it on your desk without it becoming a 'conversation piece'. It doesn't come with code cheats. For that I use and recommend 'The Complete Reference' which is the size of a squashed brick.

Four stars because IMHO, this reference could do without a 'What is Java' introduction (even though it's a small part of the book) - it's better done in any textbook.