Customer Reviews

The Java(TM) Developers Almanac 1999

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have about a half-dozen java books. I recently discovered this one, even though it's been on my shelf for awhile. Now, it's the only one I use.

I'm a beginner to the java environment, but not to the programming scene, and this book has been extremely helpful. You need to first realize though that this is a reference manual, not something that you can read from cover to cover and learn java in 21 days. It's a great source of information for the classes within java, and I'd highly recommend this to anyone who has C/C++ experience who wants to make that leap to java.

I've been using the 1998 edition literally ALL the time and found it to be indispensible to any Java task. It becomes more so as you use it.

The only problem I have is the actual physical aspect of the book. I preferred its old compact size and the paper texture but apart from that this is a great book that got greater.

Like everything else in the Addison Wesley "Java Series", this book is the best available of its type. This is the book I go to first when I have a question about a class or method. If I need more info, I pull out the appropriate volume of the Java Class Libraries, Second Edition. If I need still more info, I look in one of the Java Tutorial books.

With the 1998 edition, I found myself usually going beyond step 1 in the above process. That edition just didn't have much of the info I needed, and it was presented rather poorly. That's all changed in the 1999 edition.

This book is bigger, better laid out, and has very well-done Examplets to help jar your memory about a particular class or method.

If you need to learn the basics of the Java language, you should still pass this one by. The Java Tutorial and Java Tutorial Continued are good teaching tools, while this is a pure reference work. But if you know enough about Java to get by but need something to help you remember the signature of a given method, then buy this book!

The Java Developers ALMANAC 1999 is literally one the best "desk references" that I've every seen - period. Its "architecture" makes navigating the vast Java class library very easy. Clever use of <B>bold</B> text formatting and a terse set of symbols representing modifiers and OO concepts make this a very "dense" reference in a relatively small volume. The text is printed on a very high quality finished paper that enhances visiblity and page turning (a real plus when working under low-level task lighting at the computer display). Others have remarked about what this volume lacks but when you consider the explosion of Java this book would have to be reprinted on monthly basis to keep up. In summary, I've only been involved in learning Java for less than 3 months. This book has been my constant companion and I believe it has contributed significantly to my understanding of the JFC.

This book took me a long way. Now my page looks like the pros

I was spoiled by the 1998 edition so relatively speaking the 1999 edition is a disapointment. I liked the smaller size, lighter weight, and more comphrensive 1998 edition much better. For some stupid reason the publisher increased the dimensions of the book and used heavy gloss paper in the new edition making it 3x heavier, harder to read, and very flimsy... exactly what you don't want in a reference book. Hopefully, the publisher will realized they screwed up and go back to the proven dictionary format and add more java apis while they're at it.

This is the one Java book I refer to daily. I find it essential for discovering information such as what Class or Class Method I might need to use, or what package I need to import.

The addition of small "Examplets" is an added bonus. I only wish a link to a download site for these code snippets was provided.

Like a number of other readers, I preferred the previous version's "palm-size" format, but that is a small compaint for an excellent refence book.

The book contains one line summaries of every method in the Java API. It is well organized, nicely format and a wonderful quick reference book. There are other sections such as an outline of the packages and little reference details (such as Java system property names that are quiet useful. No other book even comes close to be such a useful compact reference.

The most obvious change from the 1998 edition is that it went from being a small paperback to a trade paperback format. Unfortunately, this change is for the worst. Being a consultant, I loved the small paperback format. It was very little and easy to bring around with me. I can't say the same about the new one.

Another change that was not mentioned anywhere is that the 1998 edition had more packages listed. The 1999 edition omits javax.mail, javax.media, javax.naming, javax.servlet, and a few other minor packages here and there.

Another minor change is that the book contains some example code snippets. While maybe someone will find this useful, I did not (I'd rather have the missing packages back).

On the whole though, it is a great book. However, I don't think it is as good as the 1998 edition. Mostly, it is the change of format. In future editions, I hope that Addison Wesley decides to go back to the paperbook format.

I refer to my Java Almanac daily. It's a beautifully organized book, with excellent cross referencing and terrifically compact layout. I find it absolutely essential to my Java programming.

My only complaint is that the new edition has been published in a larger size. The old edition looked just fine, and it was much easier to hold in hand. Maybe they will release this book in the palm-sized format as well.