The Java Class Libraries - Vol 1 & 2
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Patrick Chan, Rosanna Lee, Douglas Kramer
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Second Edition, Addison Wesley, 1998
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Volume one contains;
java.[io | lang | math | net | text | util]
Volume two contains;
java.[applet | awt | beans]
These two hefty volumes are a complete reference guide to
the Java 1.1 core classes. These are not books to learn
Java from and are not billed as such, they are reference
material from beginning to end. Every class, every
method, every field. Fantastic you may think, but what do
these volumes provide that is not already covered by the
online Javadoc documentation. The overall impression I
have is - not very much at all. Apart from a couple of
bits of cardboard and well over two thousand sheets of
paper these books do not offer a great deal more.
Maybe I don't paint a pretty picture and maybe I am being
unfair, for the books do have uses. When you are in the
middle of programming and you suddenly think, "Oh, what
was the name of that method?" Or something similar, the
answer is right next to you, and you don't have to load
netscape up, and books are easier to read(I think), and
... and .... There are quite a few 'ands' if you get to
thinking about it, but the biggest drawback, and I think
this is bigger than all the pro's, is that you don't know
how the authors(from JavaSoft), are going to update the
book when the next version of Java comes out, and its just
about here along with the next five version updates which
are no doubt planned.
I can't recommend buying these books - even though I have,
and have got quite a bit of use from them - if I didn't
have them I would just have to find the info online - and
its all there. Enough said.
Review Author:Japheth Hossell
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A Little Java, A Few Patterns
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Matthias Felleisen, Daniel P Friedman |
First Edition, The MIT Press, 1998
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"A Little Java, A Few Patterns" is a book that contains just
that. A book written in a 'question answer' fashion which, when
you get the hang of, explains the subject in a clear and concise
manner. It introduces Java from a functional programming point
of view, and shows that such an approach leads to the use of
well known object oriented design patters.
It introduces, and deals with, core java/OO concepts such as
classes, interfaces, and inheritance, while using basic patterns
to demonstrate these concepts. Do not expect to learn Java from
this book, but do expect to learn how to program using it.
On the whole I like the book, if you are new to Java, new
to Java from a functional background, or even if you know java,
this book can be a fun, and worthwhile read(its short so even
quite good programmers can tackle it without getting bored -
although you may have to skip/skim the really basic sections).
Review Author:Japheth Hossell
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