22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Groovy is a real language, not Java's scripting clone, April 29, 2008
This review is from: Programming Groovy: Dynamic Productivity for the Java Developer (Pragmatic Programmers) (Paperback)
When a new language comes out, the first set of books focuses on either the shiny new, golly-gee-wow features of the language or on how to use it to get real work done. But eventually someone comes out with a book that no longer treats the new language like a shiny new thing, but as a serious contender in the language universe. And that's Programming Groovy does (disclaimer: I know Venkat). It doesn't treat Groovy like a novelty act. It also doesn't provide recipes. Instead, it treats Groovy as a real programming language. I'll have to admit, this is the Groovy book for which I've been waiting.
Groovy is friendlier syntax for programming Java (I called it the real JDK in a recent blog posting). Books about the practical aspects of Groovy are very important because, as a language, it resides in a unique place: it's a low impedance way to program the Java platform, and it displaces Java for lots of common tasks. But it is also a powerful language in its own right. Programming Groovy has 4 chapters on meta-programming Groovy, and another long chapter on building domain specific languages. That's meaty stuff. It never condescends or makes excuses for Groovy but treats it like a real language. This book goes in depth into places in Groovy where it's hard to find information online, like how ExpandoMetaclass really works. This is both the most comprehensive and authoritative book on the Groovy language around. This is going to be a classic in the Groovy literature and an exemplar for describing new languages.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I read this book cover to cover. It's a great book that I recommend highly, November 30, 2008
This review is from: Programming Groovy: Dynamic Productivity for the Java Developer (Pragmatic Programmers) (Paperback)
I read this book carefully, cover to cover. It is very well written. In the entire book I found one typographical mistake that was a trivial mistake in a footnote. Everything else was perfect.
Not everyone is going to be able to appreciate this book. When I first tried to read it, I ended up putting it aside. But then I read two books about javascript ("JavaScript: The Good Parts" and a book on JQuerey). That introduced me to dynamic languages. Then, I started reading this book again and couldn't put it down, it was so interesting.
Thanks to this book, I am now on the Groovy bandwagon. Groovy seems like the natural next step after java, a statically typed language.
I attended the first Groovy/Grails conference in February of 2008. Even with that background, I truly could not comprehend Groovy until I learned the dynamic capabilities of javascript. For others, maybe learning Ruby first would give the same "shot in the arm" towards learning Groovy that javascript had for me.
I'm a typical java programmer, so my enthusiasm now for Groovy (and Grails and Griffon) is probably typical of the excitement about Groovy that is beginning to build, especially now that SpringSource has acquired G2One.
In summary, I am recommending this specific book because the author is a very good writer who did a very good job of presenting the material clearly and logically in an interesting manner.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Groovy book, November 24, 2008
This review is from: Programming Groovy: Dynamic Productivity for the Java Developer (Pragmatic Programmers) (Paperback)
Are you interested in Groovy? You don't have time for reading big
books with many unnecessary topics?
Do you need a book, that will give you a great introduction to Groovy
without spending many days on reading?
If YES, then this book is definitely for you!
"Programming Groovy" was my first book about Groovy, it gave me a
great introduction to Groovy language.
I decided to read this book, because it has about 300 pages. So, for
me (I'm a very busy person) it was the best option
to receive knowledge about Groovy.
The book of Venkat Subramaniam is divided into 3 main parts:
* Beginning Groovy
* Using Groovy
* MOPping Groovy
If you just want to have a fast overview on Groovy, then "Beginning
Groovy" will definitely fit your needs, because it
provides general information on Groovy language including: dynamic
typing, data types, closures and working with collections.
There is also dedicated chapter called "Groovy for the Java Eyes" with
some Groovy-Java comparisons and description
of their cooperation.
"Using Groovy" is the part with the most useful topics you might need,
it covers scripts and classes creation,
working with XML, using databases and extended classes from GDK.
In case you want to be a real Groovy hacker, you have to read "MOPping
Groovy", which will introduce you to
advanced Groovy topics like: Meta-Object Protocol, methods injection,
Groovy builders, unit testing and even creating
your own DSL in Groovy!
I'm sure you will be very satisfied after reading "Programming Groovy".
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