Customer Reviews

Java in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference for Java Programmers (Nutshell Handbooks)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Much like "Webmaster in a Nutshell", this book is a reference and should not be bought as a learning tool. Perhaps if you have spent years in C, this would provide a quick evaluation of the similarities and differences between the two. Otherwise, the first few chapters are an inadequate introduction to the language. In short, this is the book to get when you want to reference something you have already learned, not the place to begin learning it. That said, you might find it worthwhile to check out ORA's more in-depth volumes detailing specific aspects of the language(threads, , AWT, etc...).

The book seems directed towards object oriented programmers, as it does not go in-depth into explaining the delicacies of object-oriented programming. Earlier chapters give the impression of an audience familiar with C or C++. However, later in the book, the examples (on which the book relies heavily) and the short-references of new concepts become difficult to comprehend for an average C/C++ programmer. Along with references from the official Java site, the book can be a very good reference tool though

While this book contains some silly statements about the relationship between Java, C, and C++, it is still quite useful. Hopefully it will be kept up to date with the changes in Java

The book has two purposes. The first is to teach the language to programmers who already know C or C++. I'm in that category, and found the book quite good for learning Java. The second purpose is a language reference, and here it is not so good. It lists the standard libraries and functions, but it does not describe what they do; it merely enumerates them. The HTML documentation freely available from JavaSoft is much better

you got java -- you get this boo

Java in a Nutshell provides a good introduction to Java in its first few chapters. This is oriented towards C/C++ programmers, but doesn't assume much knowledge. It explains all major Java concepts. The rest of the book is an excellent reference. It is not as comprehensive as the API reference, but it is excellent for a desktop quick reference. As an example, they have the full API, with a short description of each class, along with a list of all the methods. It includes chapters on Unicode and Java-related HTML, among others. An excellent book I am glad to own.

When I went shopping for a Java book I wanted a no-nonsense down-to-earth book that just told me the syntax and the libraries and just let me do it. This is the perfect book! There are a couple of chapters of examples, but they are not long, and they are not long-winded. There are clear and concise (maybe a little too concise) sections on the AWT, the JDK programs, Passed-To, Returned-By, Thrown-By and so on. If you have to pass a Frame object to somewhere, look up the Returned-By section to figure out where you're supposed to get one from - it takes seconds!

This book is GREAT for the experienced programmer learning Java. For the novice, it is all but useless. Also it is relatively cheap, and so GREAT value for money. Flanagan has also written a book about JavaScript, so I might check that out as well.

The only deficiency I can think of is that I keep hitting bugs in JDK 1.02 which of course are not dealt with in the book. He did not go into a great deal of detail about audio, it took me months to figure out I could only play .au files. And some methods in the standard objects are not explained at all, e.g. notifyUpdate(). But I think I would need a more detailed and expensive book for that, maybe one from JavaSoft.

In the early goings of my forays into the Java language, I was lost. I struggled with the on-line API documentation looking for answers to my newbie questions to no avail. I needed a reference that I could feel in my hands that would provide me with the answers and directions that I needed.

After perusing the many feet of shelf space dedicated to Java in my local bookstore, I ran across _Java_in_a_Nutshell_, Published by O'Reilly & Associates, I knew that this book would be a quality reference and I have not been disappointed.

This book is not a tutorial and does not propose to teach you Java in any given time period. Rather, it provides a concise reference on the Java 1.0 API, provides information and examples of many common uses of the language (e.g. graphics, animation, sound, threads, etc.) with detailed code samples. There are also basic chapters on OOP principles, GUIs, networking, I/O and the requisite 'Hooray for Java' and comparitive discussion on C/C++.

My only wish for the book is that it had provided more in line documentation for the code examples and perhaps provided more detail on the class methods in the API (Perhaps we'll see this in in an update to the 1.1 API?). That aside, David Flannagan and ORA are to be commended for putting together an excellent Java reference.

This is not the book for you if you are looking for a Java tutorial or a neophite to object oriented programming. Rather this is an excellent reference that should be within reach of every Java programmers keyboard.

"Java in a Nutshell" is concise and surprisingly complete. As a tutorial, it works well for the experienced programmer, because it goes directly to the point: for example, it doesn't spend pages on the primitive data types. Novice programmers will probably prefer more expository material. The book favors the "look at the code to see how to do this" approach rather than lengthy explanations; fortunately, the code is clear enough so that the approach actually works.

What makes this book a "must have" is the complete list of API methods. Explanation is unfortunately minimal (or the book would be much longer!), but there is enough that the user can, with some experimentation, use the built-in classes. This is a perfect "Nutshell" book: if you don't need lengthy explanations, this packs a small Java library into one inexpensive volume.

Java is the language that is bringing dynamic interaction to the net. An incredible value, this book includes a concise and comprehensive introduction to the Java language in addition to a complete reference section. One of the earliest sections illustrates some of the powerful object-oriented aspects of Java in terms of the C and C++ languages. The examples cover a wide range of important Java features as well as advanced topics such as smooth animation, threads and networking. Using a new language is never easy, but this book makes the process a pleasure.