The Art of Java (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

There is something for every programmer in this book, which presents a number of practical, high-powered applications of Java. Included are pure code subsystems such as the expression parser, which readers will adapt for use in their own programs, financial calculations and statistics programs that feature ready-for-use applets/servlets, interpreter or the AI-based search engine, and much more.

From the Back Cover

Take your programming expertise to the next level with help from Java programming all-stars Herb Schildt and James Holmes. Together they unlock the secrets that professional programmers use to create world-class software. Inside, Herb and James apply Java to a wide variety of high-powered applications, each demonstrating different features and techniques. Examples range from language interpreters, Web crawlers, and e-mail subsystems to expression parsers, statistical tools, and financial applets. You'll even see how to apply Java to Artificial Intelligence (AI)! Each application can be used as-is, or as a starting point for your own development. From networking to parsing to AI and beyond, this book contains some of the most exciting Java code found anywhere.

Inside you'll

• Explore the genius of Java
• Create an expression parser for numeric expressions
• Build a Web crawler
• Design and implement a computer language interpreter
• Develop a complete e-mail subsystem
• Construct a download manager that streamlines downloading files from the Internet
• Develop statistical tools that compute the mean, median, mode, standard deviation, and more
• Create financial applets and servlets that compute the regular payment on a loan, the future value of an investment, an annuity, and more
• Develop AI-based search techniques
• Explore Java's HTML rendering capabilities

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition (July 31, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072229713
• ISBN-13: 978-0072229714
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #571,564 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, September 21, 2003

By	David Williams "I.T. consultant" (Newcastle, NSW, Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a truly outstanding book and is surely a "must-read" for any serious Java programmer.

The authors are touted as "two genuine Java gurus". Admittedly, I am unfamiliar with one (James Holmes), but the other - Herbert Schildt - I well remember from University days as having written the most in-depth and definitive tome on C programming I had ever seen (and has since moved on to do the same for C++ and C#).

This is not a "how-to" Java programming book or an introductory work. Those new to Java will be out of their depth here.

Instead, "The Art of Java" is a brilliant guide to producing intensely useful and technical Java applications, ranging through parsing numeric expressions, building a Web crawler (adhering to well-defined protocols), implementing an actual computer language, building a complete e-mail subsystem, constructing a streamlined download manager, and more.

These are sophisticated and fascinating Java programs reflecting deep concepts in computer science. The chapters - and their applications - are not merely individual, isolated, programs with no bearing on what has gone before. Rather, each chapter seeks to demonstrate particular features and technologies of Java, with the applications really only being to illustrate the concept - it just so happens they are highly significant and real-world applications, and not simply trite pieces of code as would be found in lesser programming works.

Where this title excels is in its masterful respect and love of the Java language. This is where the "art" in the title comes in; the authors clearly have a passion for Java and its capabilities. The very first chapter even strives to expound on this, where the authors wax lyrical on the pure "genius of Java" itself.

If you love Java, this is a must buy!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good writing, excellent examples, worth reading, September 8, 2005

By	D. Mitchell (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What I liked about this book was the fact that the author not only implemented the back end code, but showed how easy it is to put a quick Swing UI on it. The ability to write a complete, good looking application is often missing in most books. I think this should encourage more people to write quick UIs for the various utilities they code in Java. It encouraged me to go back to some old command line programs I use and throw a quick UI on them. Of course, that's not the point of the book. His intention was to show how Java can solve traditional computer science and IT problems. He succeeds at that.

My only complaints are:

1. the book hasn't been updated to Java SE 5 yet.
2. the use of Swing by the author is incorrect in my opinion. I think there's a few times the author doesn't handle the event dispatch thread correctly. This could send people off in the wrong direction with Swing.
3. the coding style doesn't exactly match the Java Style Guide published by Sun. Some people might like this, but I think it's a problem with many books.
4. The code in the book is not syntax highlighted. Most editors do this quite effectively and I think more books should start doing it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very cool book!, October 7, 2003

By	Chris Bosworth (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

I came across this book recently and was intrigued by the concept. After having read it I'm thoroughly pleased. Most books don't show you how to do the "cool stuff" in programming. This book does that. I've always wondered how AI type programming worked and this book shed some light on it in a real-world fashion. I also enjoyed the chapters on programming Internet-based applications. I have so many ideas now that I know how things work behind the scenes. I definitely recommend this book to others who enjoy tinkering with different types of programs. You'll learn alot!