Core Java 1.1 Volume 1: Fundamentals by Cay S. Horstmann

Description

For experienced programmers this text provides coverage of the “core” components of Java: OO programming style and techniques; exception handling; and GUI-building with the AWT. The CD includes the complete JDK 1.1 sample code and examples from the book and third-party tools such as Java WorkShop.

Editorial Review

Endorsed by Sun Microsystems, Core Java 1.1 deals with “fundamental” Java programming. The first volume deals with “fundamental” Java programming. Geared toward the more experienced programmer who has a knowledge of some other programming language, this guide is full of tips and smart enhancements to help you get the most out of basic Java.

Early chapters provide the history of Java and the basics of using it for Internet computing. The authors dutifully cover the bare-bones essentials of Java, such as variables, programming statements, and the basic object design in Java and argue that it is a good (though not perfect) object-oriented programming language. They include helpful suggestions for modeling classes using inheritance and interfaces. Some expert material, which makes use of several advanced language features, is also included in the discussion of how to clone arrays. Later the authors show how to use Java's inner classes, including anonymous inner classes. The chapter on graphics programming is also geared toward real-world programmers, showing how printing can be integrated alongside code that displays graphics on the screen.

The rest of the book moves toward the fundamentals of Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT) programming, first covering the complexities of event handling in the Java Developer's Kit (JDK) 1.1 event model, then publishing a survey of the basic AWT components. The discussion of the “peer,” or native, model and how it can be bypassed easily using “lightweight” controls in JDK 1.1 programming is interesting. Concluding chapters describe the basics of processing applets; data structures, such as vectors and hash tables (as well as custom linked lists and queues for the more ambitious programmer); and exception handling.

The organization of this text makes a lot of sense for new–and more experienced–programmers who are making the transition to Java. This book covers a lot of ground while delivering a good deal of “expert mode” programming knowledge along the way. Even those who already know a little Java will benefit from this information.