Jython for Java Programmers (Paperback)

~ Robert Bill (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Robert Bill's Jython for Java Programmers from New Riders is an essential introduction to the complexities of the merger between two popular object-oriented languages, Python and Java. It is directed toward Java programmers who want to incorporate Python rather than vice versa, but the utter symmetry of merging two object-oriented languages creates an Escheresque problem in perspective. It is like two snakes gobbling each other up.

Let's sort this out historically. When Sun Microsystems' virtual machine (VM) paradigm emerged in the mid-1990s, the high-level programming language Java became the idiom for the new "soft" computer. Java's object-oriented architecture allowed it to scope from the lowest-level OS tasks (reads, writes to disk and screen), but much of the mid- and high-level tools were missing--e.g., common GUI features, text parsing, list sorting. The missing functionality is implemented gradually with nuts-and-bolts Java functions and by porting libraries to Java (GL4Java).

The cascade of "100 percent pure Java" ports has finally led to the gobbling up of the elegant Python scripting language, which is also object-oriented. But that is only half of the story. As Java devours Python, Python also devours Java. In one manifestation, Jython is Python written in Java rather than C. It has its own interpreter "jython" and compiler "jythonc," both of which can draw on all of Java's classes. Conversely, jythonc will create a Java class which can be imported by the Java interpreter "java" and compiler "javac." Java programmers will have the luxury of importing and using succinct Jython classes rather than writing the lines of verbose native Java code.

The bewildering complexities are elucidated by Bill in Jython for Java Programmers, which presents Jython both as a standalone, Java-equipped language and as the class implementation within Java. Its three parts are dedicated to Jython's basics (very similar to a Python tutorial), Jython's internals, and Jython's incorporation into GUI, database, and Web applications. The book follows in the New Riders tradition of exhaustive, implementation-centered publishing. Jython is not a Java foundation class, but Bill's book is a cornerstone in its own right. We also recommend Jython.org to help sort out Jython's big picture. --Peter Leopold

Product Description

This book will help Java developers to increase application development and deployment, thus optimizing their overall efficiency.

A brief introduction is provided that shows the differences between Java and Jython, important to include so that the reader will have a better understanding of why their union is beneficial.

The remainder of the book teaches, through examples, how to use Jython. Intended for an experienced Java developer, this book assumes you understand the fundamentals to programming (i.e. loop statements, if.then, etc.). So, page space is focused on utilizing Jython with Java by covering the following: extending Python with java classes, modules, compiling, interpreters, design integration, etc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Sams (December 28, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0735711119
• ISBN-13: 978-0735711112
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 3.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #738,558 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jython for Java Programmers, February 25, 2002

By A Customer

Robert W. Bill did an excellent job in introducing Jython which is the combination of two programming languages. The merging of Java and Python. Although intended for programmers with sufficient background in Java programming, this book can be a great tool for learning another high-level language. This book includes topics on: seamless access to Java classes, efficiency,dynamic types, introspection and dynamic execution, first-class functions and functional programming, Java security, and code clarity.

Jython for Java Programmers is like a book for beginners trying to lear a new programming language. Each chapter has sufficient samples of codes with a corresponding syntax for a particular example. At the end of each chapter, the author was able to clearly compare Jython to Java. Such comparisons include: statements, typecodes, types, and classes, errors and exceptions, synchronization, packages, GUI development, as well as instances and inheritance. The last two chapters provided topics on database programming and server-side web programming. The Jython programmer is given sample codes on how to make use MySQL, PostgreSQL, and JDBC in their Jython program. The book focused on Servlets and JSP in its last chapter. Although it is equally effective with all the Java technologies on developing web applications.

Jython can be an added high-level language for Java programmers. But the book assumes its audience has previous Java knowledge. So that discussions on class, instance, encapsulation, polymorphism, and inheritance were briefly mentioned. Thus, cannot be sufficient as an introduction to programming. Jython-related Internet resources were listed in the Introduction section. An educational advantage of this book is that it supports functional programming as well as object-oriented programming.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, February 25, 2002

By	akempo "akempo" (Lexington, SC United States) - See all my reviews

An excellent book overall, this book accomplishes what it sets out to do: teach Jython to Java Programmers. Like many who were unfamiliar it, I was under the impression that Jython was simply a Java version of Python, which it is not. Jython is a language in its own right, and this book serves not only as an introduction to Jython, but to Python as well, and a very good one at that.
Although I did not do every example in the book, as that would have taken some time, I did most of the examples from the first 6 chapters, and with one exception they all worked. I have enough confidence in the author that I believe most, if not all the following examples will work as written also. Another thing I appreciate was the author's notes regarding versions scheduled to come out, so that if my Jython version behaved differently, I knew why.
From an organizational standpoint, the book follows the standard teaching conventions of showing syntax and data types and moving up from there until classes have been discussed. The middle part of the book is spent talking about how to combine Java and Jython, a much simpler process than any other two languages I've seen, and then he discusses practical applications of Jython and Java. Although the examples are too simplistic for a real world scenario, they convey enough information to provide a model from which to develop.
My only real complaint with the book was the number of grammatical errors, which distracted me from time to time as I puzzled out what the author was trying to say. A good book, and one which the publisher should re-edit to make it even better.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I was very happy with this book., February 7, 2002

By	Alan Kennedy (Dublin, Ireland.) - See all my reviews

I think this book clearly achieves what it sets out to do: Introduce Java programmers to Jython. The book gives a good introduction to the Python language, its history and various implementations. It covers all of the main areas that are important for any real-world programmer new to a language needs to know, for example threading. All of the important application-level topics are well covered: Embedding Jython in your Java systems, using Jython in web applications, developing Swing GUIs with Jython, etc, etc. There is a detailed section on the greatest strengths of Jython: How to inherit Java classes from Jython, how to inherit Jython classes fom Java, and how to make Jython classes look like Java classes (for jar/war files, etc). This book is clearly written by someone who has plenty of experience *using* python and jython, and plenty of experience *using* Java, and integrating the two. The style is clear, concise and easy to read, and always focussed on the main objective: helping Java programmers understand Jython. All in all a very competent book that will make an important addition to any Java programmers/designers bookshelf.

Update - two months on.

I can't sing the praises of this book enough. I've been doing some embedding with jython for the last month, and this book has had all the details I needed to do the job. While it was necessary to dip into the jython source, Robert's book gave me an excellent overview, and indicated if something was possible, and how to go about it. If I hadn't had this book, the job would have taken twice as long. An excellent investment.