A Programmer's Guide to Java (tm) Certification [Paperback]

Khalid A. Mughal (Author), Rolf W. Rasmussen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0201596148 | ISBN-13: 978-0201596144 | Edition: 1

Sun Certified Programmer for Java (TM) 2 Platform exam (equivalent to level 1 in the new Certification Iniitiative for Enterprise Development) allows programmers to validate their valuable Java programming skills and provides the IT industry with a standard to use when recruiting professionals. "A Programmer's Guide to Java Certification "prepares readers for the CJPE by teaching them sound Java programming skills and covering the core language and all the major APIs. Requiring no previous Java experience, "A Programmer's Guide to Java Certification" is the easiest way to ensure exam success!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"We have written A Programmer’s Guide to Java Certification to allow the reader to master the Java programming language. Mastering the language should naturally culminate in the practical goal of passing the Sun Certified Programmer for Java‘ 2 Platform exam. In addition to preparing the reader thoroughly for the exam, this book also provides comprehensive coverage of all the essential Java features and core APIs that every proficient Java programmer should master."
- The authors

What you will find in this book:

• In-depth coverage of all the important topics, in particular, extensive coverage of ALL the objectives defined for the Sun Certified Programmer for Java TM 2 Platform exam (equivalent to Level 1 in the new Certification Initiative for Enterprise Development). • Easy to follow structure with chapters organized according to the exam objectives as laid out by Sun • Summaries which clearly state and differentiate the exam objectives and the supplementary objectives to be covered in each chapter • A list of Sun’s objectives for the Programmer exam, and a guide to taking the exam • Numerous exam-relevant review questions to test understanding of each major topic, with annotated answers • A complete mock exam with NEW questions (not repeats of review questions) • Programming exercises at the end of each chapter, with solutions • Ample code examples to illustrate concepts, which have been compiled and thoroughly tested on multiple platforms • Screen shots which illustrate how the examples would look when run • Numerous illustrations which use the standard diagramatic notation, UML • An introduction to basic terminology and concepts in object-oriented programming • Advice on how to avoid common pitfalls in mastering the language • Platform independent coverage - platform specific details are provided where relevant

Additional but relevant topics are also covered, such as using threads, building GUI with AWT and Swing components, rendering graphics, implementing applets, handling I/O streams, generating documentation using Javadoc and much more.

The accompanying web site includes a mock exam engine; complete source code for all the examples and solutions for the programming exercises; links to important resources (web browsers, Sun’s JDK, and integrated development environments for Java); updates; and more....

Written for anyone with previous programming experience (although not necessarily in Java), this book’s comprehensive coverage of the basic and the advanced features of the language make it as useful for experienced Java programmers aiming at certification, as for programmers learning Java for the first time.

0201596148B04262002

About the Author

Khalid Azim Mughal is an Associate Professor at the Department of Informatics at the University of Bergen, Norway. The University was one of the first to introduce Java into the curriculum (January 1997) & Professor Mughal was responsible for designing and implementing various Java courses. In his 18 years at the university, he has taught programming languages (Java, C/C++ & Pascal), Software Engineering (object-Oriented System Development), Databases (Data Modelling & Database Management Systems) & Compiler Construction Techniques. During the last two years, he has also given numerous courses and seminars at various levels in OOP & system development using Java & Java-related technology, both at the University and for the IT industry. Professor Mughal has spent over three years at the Department of Computer Science at Cornell University. He is the principal author of the book responsible for writing the material covering the Java topics. Rolf Rasmussen is working on his thesis at the University, relating to Object Technology, Java, UML & the development of CASE tools. He has been responsible for developing the review questions and answers, the programming exercises and their solutions, the mock exams and all the practical aspects relating to taking the Sun CJPE.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 688 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Pub (Sd); 1 edition (August 19, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201596148
• ISBN-13: 978-0201596144
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (173 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #951,706 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

100 of 101 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highle recommend it, October 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Programmer's Guide to Java (tm) Certification (Paperback)

I passed the Java 2 certification exam on first attempt. And I owe this convincing success to this book. The Java 2 certification exam mainly tests language fundamentals. This book covers fundamentals very very thoroughly. The chapters on difficult topics such as Threads and Inner classes are also very well written (not just glossed over as in some other books). The book is written is a simple and rigorous style, with no plaff! It is very easy to read and to understand. There is no wastage - of paper or words (like some other books in the market!) and very few typos. I found the code examples to be adequate and complete. The review questions are representative of the exam questions and a shade tougher, making the actual exam seem almost easy. The answers to the review questions are annotated leaving in no doubt the reason for the choice of answers and this I found to be very useful. The mock exam provided in the appendix has an interesting collection of questions - some of them are quite tricky. I just wish that the mock exam was provided on a CD, in a simulated exam environment. All in all an excellent first book for preparing for the Java 2 certification exam. Armed with this book and taking a few of the simulated mock exams available on the net will make passing the exam quite easy. Actually, this book is excellent for understanding Java language fundamentals that I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a sound introduction to the language!!

70 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely thorough, September 8, 2000

By 

J. Gulati (Pasadena, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Programmer's Guide to Java (tm) Certification (Paperback)

This book is full of information and covers each topic in great detail. For the novice, I suggest that one use this book along with Bruce Eckel's Thinking in Java. Both combined make an excellent resource for the certification exam.

Pros: 1> The coverage on language fundamentals, inner classes, overriding, overloading, and event delegation model is excellent. The explanation is clear and concise. There is a steady flow from one concept to another. 2> The best part of the book is that it has review questions after every 10 pages or so. The questions are very tough but then they really test you for thorough understanding of the concepts. 3> The book with its thorough analysis of the Java language can be daunting at times (enough to give up the exam preparation). This is both a pro as well as a con of the book.

Cons: 1> AWT and I/O is better covered in Roberts' Complete Guide to Java 2 certification book. 2> Additional topics on Swing and Javadoc are not part of the exam curriculum.

Suggestions: 1> The mock exam in the book is much tougher than the real exam. 2> Take all the mock exams on the internet. See the site www.jchq.net

55 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From a non-professional programmer's standpoint, August 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Programmer's Guide to Java (tm) Certification (Paperback)

This review is written for readers who are in similar situation as mine.

My background:

-My experience with Java was minimal (2 University classes). -I didn't have work experience in Java.

My thoughts on the book:

This book covers everything you need for the Java 2 exam. It even covers topics such as Javadoc and Swing. You are told if a chapter is related to the exam objectives or not - the author categorizes the chapters' objectives (and sub objectives) into Main or Supplemental ones so you can skip a chapter (or a section) that you don't need for certification purposes.

The wording is concise and straight to the point. The terminologies and notations are based on the standards used in the industry (UML is used extensively in this book). The chapters are not closely tied so you can jump from one to another pretty easily. The concepts are defined and explained very thoroughly (important for certification) - this is the strongest selling point of this book. The practice questions and the mock exams are very good (make sure you do the written mock exam at the back of the book) and they expose one's weaknesses in the language quite effectively.

The book's website has corrections and a mock exam engine.

This book helps you master the language concepts in addition to passing the exam.

My preparation:

I took 3 months of 4-5 hour nights to study the material in this book. I have another book but that book looks like kindergarden material once you've read Khalid's book.

I did more than 15 mock exams and experimented with codes to clear my doubts.

My result:

Passed with 90%

Hope this helps.