Written for the working Java programmer, the Java 2 Performance and Idiom Guide provides many tips for improving the efficiency (and readability) of your Java code. It provides a useful reference that will benefit any serious Java developer.
The most notable thing about this book is that it provides a real-world perspective on what does and doesn't work for optimizing Java. (The authors' advice is sometimes counterintuitive, and as Java compilers and environments have improved, outguessing the compiler has become a tricky business.) This book is organized into sections based on the likely effect of the suggested optimizations (from "major-moderate" to "minor" improvements). The authors test their code (and provide benchmark numbers) to back up what they say.
Advice on limiting object creation and remote calls, as well as proper class design for custom classes (especially the implementation custom equals() methods and using object factories) are absolutely invaluable here. The authors also look at how to choose the correct Java 2 collection class for your needs. Included in the discussion are several software patterns and "idioms" (language-specific tips), which can lead to more efficient and reusable designs. With a section on naming conventions, this book also promotes good programming style as well as more efficient code.
As a grab bag of hints for writing better code, the Java 2 Performance and Idiom Guide offers something for almost any Java developer. It demonstrates the authors' considerable experience in real-world projects to show some workarounds for problems that you will sometimes encounter when putting Java into the field for the first time, as well as some leading-edge thinking about efficient class design. --Richard Dragan
Topics covered: Java performance and optimization overview; hardware and memory performance hints; Sun HotSpot JVM; server-side performance issues; optimization hints for algorithms, collections, strings, and object creation; patterns; idioms for designing custom classes; dynamic classloading; constructors and object factories; concurrency hints; resource bundling and internationalization tips; exceptions; interfaces; inner classes and constructors; packaging; testing hints (white-box and unit testing); Java naming conventions; and Java coding style.
Book Info
Designed to document the common idioms and optimization techniques that experienced Java developers should know. Topics are presented specifically for Java 2, including coverage of features; the Collections Framework and the HotSpot JVM.
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