Ivor Horton's Beginning Java 2, JDK 5 Edition (Paperback)

by Ivor Horton (Author) "This chapter will give you an appreciation of what the Java language is all about..." (more)
Key Phrases: generic type definition, generic class types, public void modify, Method Description, Beg Java Stuff, Creating Windows (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
What is this book about?

This book is a comprehensive introduction to the Java programming language, updated thoroughly (more than 35% new and updated) for the latest SDK 1.5 release. This book shows readers how to build real-world Java applications using the Java SDK. No previous programming experience is required. The author uses numerous step-by-step programming examples to guide readers through the ins and outs of Java development. In addition to fully covering new features of SDK 1.5, such as generic types, the author has also added new chapters on Java database programming with JDBC and Java programming with XML.

From the Back Cover
Combining simplicity with power, Java has become the object-oriented language of choice for Internet programming and cross-platform applications. This comprehensive and easy-to-use guide provides you with the essential information you'll need to know in order to develop dynamic programs using the Java 2 Standard Edition 5.0 or later.

You'll be introduced to the fundamental ideas about the structure of Java programs and how they work. You'll gain a clear understanding of all the latest features of the Java language as well as the key packages in the Java class library. And with the help of numerous working examples, you'll find out how to apply the material so you can write your own full-featured applications and applets.

This book teaches you how to start programming in Java, covering everything from putting together statements and performing calculations to applying the capabilities provided by the Java class libraries, and much more.

What you will learn from this book

• The basics of how the Java language works
• Ways to apply key language elements
• Methods for storing data in a program
• How to define and utilize classes
• How to create applets for use in interactive Web pages
• Techniques for implementing an application with a graphical user interface
• How to use the JDBC capability to work with relational databases
• All the skills to become a knowledgeable Java programmer

Who this book is for

This book is for anyone who wants to explore how Java works and discover how to write fully featured and effective Java programs. No previous Java experience is necessary.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1512 pages
• Publisher: Wrox; 5 edition (December 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764568744
• ISBN-13: 978-0764568749
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #132,660 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Book is okay...but..., March 30, 2005

By	Perry Forman - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a decent read. However, I just concluded a swing class. There where several examples during class where I found information thru research that there were newer and better ways to accomplish the goal.

For example, our first assignment to deal with lists, recommended using a vector. Research revealed that arraylist is recommended a newer, better version of vector. And not to use vector. However, this book has several pages dedicated to vector and none to arraylist.

Another example is that we learned in class how to use toolkit to center a window. Using this method takes several lines of code. However, research showed that since Java 1.4, they added a null parameter to the setLocationRelativeTo command, so that if null is passed the whole window is centered. Once again, the book uses the toolkit method of centering.

These are examples I am sure of. This makes me wonder how many other examples in the book make use of technology from the Java 1.3 days. I'm not sure I'm learning proper coding by studying with this book

20 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do yourself a favor..., January 26, 2005

By	Riccardo Audano (Chiavari, Italy) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Unless you are one of those types that long for brevity, conciseness and the "nutshell" style this is the perfect book for you, newbie or beginner in the Java field. It gives a really extensive, friendly, smooth intro to the spirit and technique of Object Oriented Programming, the syntax and the principal areas of the language. You will also get get a sound, easy tutorial on programming with threads, graphical interfaces, parsing XML, and even java database connectivity. And it is updated to the latest release of Java, 1.5!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars NOT An Intro to Programming, May 22, 2007

By	webmeister "skicam07" (NY) - See all my reviews

Ivor Horton's book is very good at explaining some of the certain features of Java and providing examples of how to implement something you might want to do, such as writing to a file. Even though he starts out with variables, loops, and conditions and such, he moves very quickly and doesn't give a whole lot of explanation, so you had better be either intelligent enough to understand as you read or already have had a strong foundation in important Java concepts. Learn the OO basics like Polymorphism, inheritance, extension, objects, etc...and then pick up this book to learn the Java features. Things will make a lot more sense.