Just Java (Java Series (Mountain View, Calif.).) [Paperback]

Peter Van Der Linden (Author), Peter Van Der Linden (Author)

Book Description

Series: Java Series (Mountain View, Calif.). | Publication Date: March 1996

Written in the authorAs trademark humourous style, this book is an essential guide to the Java programming language. It provides a clear introduction to Java and object-oriented programming without wasting time on nonessential information such as basic programming concepts.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you already know one programming language, and you just want to learn Java, then Just Java is the book for you. The book provides experienced programmers with a clear introduction to Java and object-oriented programming, as well as conveys a sense of the enjoyment that lies in computer programming. The CD-ROM contains a Java compiler system for use on Windows 95, Windows NT, and Solaris 2, which includes everything you need to try Java. It also includes a beta version of the compiler for the Mac, and instructions on how to obtain the FCS version when it becomes available. Peter van der Linden is also the author of the bestselling Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets.

From the Publisher

Best-selling author Peter van der Linden uses a straightforward, practical approach in this introduction to Java, combining clear, concise text with a wealth of interesting examples. The book's presentation of programming is challenging, exciting and enjoyable, integrating coverage of the latest issues and advances with discussions of more traditional topics.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 354 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall Ptr; Bk&CD-Rom edition (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 013565839X
• ISBN-13: 978-0135658390
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,662,252 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great For Intermediate Level But Not For Beginners, February 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Just Java 2 (5th Edition) (Paperback)

OK, for starters I am not a professional programmer. I do know the rudiments of a few programming languages (VB, C++, Java, Tcl, Linux Shell Script, JavaScript, etc.) and enjoy writing automated test scripts at work. I also like the process of learning new languages and writing short programs with them in my spare time.

"Just Java 2" is a great read and one of my favorite programming books (and I have stacks of them, some good, some bad, many so-so).

However, if you are completely new to programming "Just Java 2" is (probably) not the book for you. Instead, get a beginner level book (or two) on learning Java and programming basics and work your way through them.

Then, when you know the basics, sit down with "Just Java 2" in a bookstore and re-read Peter Van Der Linden's explanations of a few of the subjects that your beginner-level Java programming books tried to teach you ...especially subjects that you "kind of know" but wish you understood better. Chances are that this book's short yet lucid explanations will periodically set off little light bulbs of sudden understanding over your head and bring new clarity to your grasp of the Java language. It did for me.

I think this is a great intermediate level Java text and a clearly understandable introduction to more advanced subjects like the JDBC, Servlets and Java Beans.

As for other Java books, we all have our own learning styles and likes/dislikes but here's some of what I've found in my quest to teach myself Java.

1) I have personally found many of the O'Reilly books (on a range of subjects, not only Java) to be unsatisfyingly terse.

2) Ivor Horton's "Beginning Java 2" provides a lot of detail but in a long-winded, scattershot, myopic, stream-of-consciousness style that make it difficult to separate key kernels of knowledge from what amounts to background noise. In other words, the cloudy writing, apparent lack of coherent editing and poor formatting (e.g many unlabelled tables) tended to confuse me as much as educate me and turned attempts to later go back and locate and quickly reread key topics into long "Where's Waldo"-like wadings through "deep text".

3) Dietel & Dietel's "Java: How To Program" at the outset offers the Java novice clear and explicit line by line explanations of sample Java programs. However, about half way through the book that style really bogs way down in wordy detail and becomes tiresome as topics become more advanced. Still, it's not a bad book for an absolute beginner.

Anyway, that's my two cents.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent guide to learning Java..., November 7, 2004

By 

Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Just Java™ 2 (6th Edition) (Paperback)

When I was first learning Java, one of the most useful books I used was Just Java 2. The 6th edition of Just Java 2 by Peter van der Linden (Prentice-Hall) continues to be a quality resource.

Chapter List: What Can Java Do For Me?; Introducing Objects; Primitive Types, Wrappers, and Boxing; Statements and Comments; OOP Part 2 - Constructors and Visibility; Static, Final, and Enumerated Types; Names, Operators, and Accuracy; More OOP - Extending Classes; Arrays; Exceptions; Interfaces; Nested Classes; Doing Several Things at Once: Threads; Advanced Thread Topics; Explanation <Generics>; Collections; Simple Input Output; Advanced Input Output; Regular Expressions; GUI Basics and Event Handling; JFC and the Swing Package; Containers, Layouts, and SWT Loose Ends; Relational Databases and SQL; JDBC; Networking in Java; Servlets and JSP; XML and Java; Web Services at Google and Amazon; Downloading Java; Powers of Two Table; Codesets; Index

This 6th edition covers all the recent additions in Java from J2SE 5.0, so you can get this book knowing you'll have the most up-to-date information. The thing I appreciate most about this book is the tone and readability of what is one of the most complete tutorial style books on Java on the market. The tone is conversational, so you're not struggling through dry text. With dashes of humor and sidebars that cover interesting history and stories of IT significance, the book comes close to being one of the few learning guides that could almost be read cover to cover as an interesting read regardless of whether you work the examples or not. The servlet and JSP chapter at the end, along with the XML chapter, is more high-level than the rest of the book. You could buy entire volumes that deal specifically with those concepts. So if that's the main reason you're buying the book, you could do better. Of course, if you bought the book for the last two chapters only, I'd question why you did so in the first place... :-)

This is an excellent book that spans the gap between hard-core tutorial and pure entertainment. I can't imagine too many people who wouldn't enjoy and benefit from this text if they want to learn Java.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book with breadth, but not for complete newbies, December 7, 2002

By 

Digital Puer "digital_puer" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Just Java 2 (5th Edition) (Paperback)

This is the third edition of Just Java that I've bought (this review is on the 5th ed), and I've found that the author has always been able to introduce new topics to me in a clear and humourous manner. This book isn't for complete newbies though; it seems targeted for those who already have programming experience and just want to get into Java. Myself, I had already had a university education in comp sci (with C and C++) when I picked up his 2nd edition in 1997 and started learning Java. Since then, these books have taught me basic Java semantics, RMI, AWT, applets, I/O, etc.

The best characteristic of this book is that it provides fantastic introductions to a wide range of topics; that is, it has great breadth but is otherwise lacking in depth on each topic. That's fine for me, and probably for most experienced programmers, because typically when learning a new topic, I just want a quick start (including what packages to use, how to get it working, and seeing initial results), and if I need a deeper understanding, I'll look online or buy a more focused book. This is how I've learned almost all my Java. Indeed, I recently bought the 5th edition to start learning about server-side technologies like JSP, servlets, and JDBC. It hasn't disappointed me.

One chapter I found outstanding is the one on I/O. The number of Java I/O classes is huge as all Java programmers know because the I/O library sacrifices ease-of-use for extreme generality. The author's explanation of when to use which classes is incredibly clear and is perhaps the best of any Java book I've read at giving you the big picture of the I/O library.

I really like this author's writing. His explanations are crystal clear. Example: his step-by-step explanation for setting up the Tomcat JSP/Servlet server was excellent (although some key points have been changed by the Tomcat folks since this book was published). This level of clarity probably comes from the fact that the author is a programmer himself, whereas most of the other intro Java books out there (especially those in the Core... series) are written by university professors or professional lecturers who try to keep everything extremely general. Such generality is not always helpful. In earlier books, the author seemed to intermingle his dry humour throughout the book, but thankfully he seems to have placed such humour only in isolated areas, such as the anecdotes at the end of each chapter.