Java in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference for Java Programmers (In a Nutshell (O'Reilly)) by David Flanagan

Description

The bestselling Java in a Nutshell has been updated to cover Java 1.1. If you're a Java programmer who is migrating to 1.1, this second edition contains everything you need to get up to speed on the new features of Java 1.1. Or if you are just now jumping on the Java bandwagon, Java in a Nutshell still has all of the features that have made it the Java book most often recommended on the Internet. An advanced introduction to Java for C and C++ programmers teaches you everything you need to know about the language, while the complete quick-reference contains descriptions of all of the classes in the Java 1.1 API, with the exception of the Enterprise APIs.
Java in a Nutshell also fully describes the syntax of the Java language, making it the only quick reference that a Java programmer needs.

The second edition of Java in a Nutshell covers Version 1.1 of the Java Development Kit (JDK). It includes all of the material from the first edition, as well as the following updated information for Java 1.1:

• A detailed overview of all of the features in Java 1.1, both on a package-by-package basis and in terms of overall functionality.
• A comprehensive tutorial on “inner classes” that explains how to use all of the new types of inner classes: static member classes, member classes, local classes, and anonymous classes.
• Practical, real-world example programs that demonstrate the features in Java 1.1, including object serialization, the new AWT event handling model, internationalization, and a sample Java Bean.
• A complete quick reference for all of the classes, methods, and variables in the core Java 1.1 API. The quick-reference pages include indicators that make it easy to find the 1.1 material. In addition, cross-reference material is now provided directly on each reference page.

With the 1.1 release, Java has grown too large to fit in a single book, even in quick-reference form. Thus, we see the need to split Java in a Nutshell into multiple volumes. This volume, the “original” Java in a Nutshell, documents the most commonly used features of Java and is an indispensable reference for all Java programmers. We may publish a separate volume that will cover the Java “Enterprise APIs”, which include the database connectivity, remote method invocation, and security features, as well as other forthcoming components, such as CORBA IDL support and the electronic commerce framework. And as other new Java APIs are developed and released, we may consider adding new volumes to the Java in a Nutshell series.

Editorial Review

The release of Java 1.1 brings many new features to the Java language. Java in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition, a worthy successor to the author's bestselling first edition of the book, offers an excellent way to keep up with most of them.

You'll find that the second edition carries over many strong points from the original, including a quick-start introduction to Java for C or C++ programmers and the handy quick-reference format. It also details the many new features of Java 1.1, including extensions to the object model and the new release of the Abstract Windowing Toolkit (AWT), Inner Classes, Java Beans, and Java ARchive (JAR) files. The book does not attempt to cover “enterprise” application programming interfaces (API), such as Java's new commerce-related security features, Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) and Remote Method Invocation (RMI). The author plans to document these features in a separate volume.

The second half of Java in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition, is a quick reference to all the packages that comprise the Java API. In the course of over 300 pages, the author introduces each package with a summary and a graphical hierarchy diagram. He then documents each package's component classes and interfaces in detail. For cases where you know the name of a class, but not its package, an index of classes, methods, and fields provide a useful cross-reference to the packages that contain them. This edition removes some of the example code of the previous edition, but provides many samples that cover new language features.