Murach's Beginning Java 2 [Paperback]

Andrea Steelman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Books24x7 | Publication Date: July 2003

An exciting, new approach to Java instruction that includes the latest Java releases (1.3.1 and 1.4). In just twenty chapters, you grow from beginner to entry-level professional. Along the way, you learn how to develop GUIs with Swing components; how to work with files; how to use JDBC to work with databases; how to develop applets that are run from Internet browsers; how to work with threads; and much more. It's all there in the unique Murach style that has been training professional programmers for more than 25 years. Includes CD-Rom.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Never heard of a Murach book? Our name may be new to you, but for 25 years, we’ve been developing programming books with a single goal in mind: To make each book the BEST one possible on any given programming subject. That’s why professional programmers worldwide look to our books for quick, effective training and reference whenever they’re working in a new language or environment. As one programmer put it, “I’ve read other programming books, but none—and I really mean none—are as useful as yours. Your company has made my life a little easier and a lot wealthier.” Now, I’m proud to publish this Java book because I truly believe it’s the best Java book I’ve ever read. Too many beginning books make Java tougher than it needs to be (and it’s plenty difficult on its own). But by the time you complete this book, I guarantee you’ll be able to write object-oriented business applications in Java.

From the Inside Flap

If you’re new to Java or object-oriented programming, this book gets you started right. By the end of chapter 2, you’ll be writing programs that use Java classes. By chapter 4, you’ll be developing your own classes. And by chapter 6, you’ll be able to design, code, and test object-oriented programs in Java.

But this isn’t just a beginning book. By the time you finish this book, you’ll know how to develop graphical user interfaces with Swing components; how to read and write data that’s stored in files; how to use JDBC to work with the data in databases; how to develop applets that are run from Internet browsers; and much more. In short, you’ll have a set of professional Java skills that you can use for developing real-world business applications. Can one book do all that? Yes...but it has to be better than the competing books in more ways than one.

5 WAYS THE CONTENT IS BETTER If you’re a beginner, you’ll learn how to code, test, and debug object-oriented Java programs in the first four chapters. No other book gets you started that fast.

In chapter 5, you’ll learn how to work with inheritance and interfaces since they are critical to the effective use of the hundreds of classes that are available with Java. Unlike other books that present theory without application, this chapter focuses just on what you need to know to use Java classes effectively.

In chapter 6, you’ll learn how to design and test object-oriented programs. Although you can’t do an effective job of developing a Java program without knowing how to design one, no other beginning book has a chapter like this.

Figuring out how to create a graphical user interface can be a nightmare with other books, but this one has you create your first GUI from start to finish in chapter 11. Then, chapters 12-14 show you how to enhance that interface. And chapter 15 shows you how to use these skills as you develop Java applets that can be run from a web browser.

Because stored data is critical to most business applications, chapters 16-18 show you how to work with files, and chapter 19 shows you how to work with databases. In particular, chapters 18 and 19 teach you how to use files and databases to provide the data for the business objects of Java applications. And no other book has content like that.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 712 pages
• Publisher: Mike Murach & Associates (July 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 189077412X
• ISBN-13: 978-1890774127
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,273,363 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Java for Real Business Applications!, August 18, 2001

By 

Donna M. Dean (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Murach's Beginning Java 2 (Paperback)

Finally there is a Java book for serious programmers doing real life business applications. Although the first five chapters must be read sequentially to ground the student in Java syntax and to understand the conceptual base of OOP - subsequent chapters may be taken out of order with little or no loss in the conceptual continuity. The examples and the projects are about real business implementations and not about toys, shapes or animals barking. The code examples work - and the explanations are direct, easy to read and lead the reader to total comprehension.

This book is not only for anyone who wants to learn how to program in Java (including those with no previous programming experience) - but for the seasoned Java programmer as well. It was the first time topics such as Date, Array, Vector and the file IO classes were covered to expose the depth and power underlying them.

After using several books that boast of "being the best" to learn Java 2, I have concluded this latest publication really is the best book on the market. When used in a classroom the material is seamless and the exercises work toward reinforcement. The book can also stand alone for the independent learner or the Java programmer who wants a deeper understanding. Don't be fooled by the title "beginning java 2" - this book is 700 (8x10) pages and it covers advanced topics such as Swing Layout Managers, JDBC and threads.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mainframers, this is your book!, September 29, 2005

By 

Ron Tiemens (Bealeton, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murach's Beginning Java 2, JDK 5 (Paperback)

As a mainframe software engineer with over twenty years in the business, I have for several years now seen the need and have endeavored to learn some Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) language such as C++ or Java. Until recently, though, all I have had to show for my efforts is a stack of highly-rated but little-read books on the subject. The reason they are little-read is I would get about 4 chapters in to the book, only to get utterly lost and give up, and toss the C++ or Java book onto a stack of similar books in the corner of my home office, fighting the despair that I would ever learn any of this stuff.

Eventually, I got hold of Beginning Java2 (JDK 5) by Lowe, Murach, and Steelman; published by Murach and Associates. As a result of working through this book, I am glad to report that I am finally successfully writing programs using weird and bizarre (to us mainframers) things such as Classes, Objects, Constructors, Methods, Inheritance, and Polymorphism; and I am actually understanding what is going on. Even more shocking, it is fun!

I think the problem with all those other books was that they assumed the reader either knew something about Object Oriented programming, or knew nothing about any kind of programming. However, I think for some of us, when approaching OOP, knowing mainframe programming is worse than knowing nothing. This Java book clearly explains things in ways that we mainframe people can easily latch onto.

If you want to finally, successfully make the jump from legacy work to Object Oriented, this is your book.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Must Have" for business application developers!, September 28, 2001

By 

James Roach (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murach's Beginning Java 2 (Paperback)

This book has taught me more in the first 175 pages than the first 500 pages of most other Java books!! This is the only book I have seen which spends its entire first chapter providing step by step instructions for setting up a Java environment so that you can get started learning Java immediately. Topics that frustrate beginners and novices alike, including setting path variables, package creation, and using Sun's JAR utilities, are explained in such a way so that you spend your time developing your business applications and not being bogged down by minutiae.

The exercises are well thought out and present real examples of how to not only approach the development of Java applications, but also how to go about maintaining existing code - as a Java professional would.

The Murach approach to writing textbooks really pays off when applied to learning Java. Detailed, but concise paragraphs are featured on the left hand page, while bulleted items and useful screen captures populate the right hand page, including the step by step instructions and examples that will save you hours of head scratching and frantic page turning.

This is a fantastic book by Andrea Steelman, and another home run for Murach and Associates!