Thinking in Java

Publisher: Prentice Hall
Author: Bruce Eckel
ISBN: 0136597238
Publication Date: Feb, 1998
Retail Price: $39.95
Samples: Full text, updates and source

Buy this book now!

---

The main thing to remember if you are considering the purchase of this book is that it is probably unlike any other Java book you may have read. That's because long before the book was ever published, it appeared on the Web in its complete form. It still is, as a matter of fact (see the link above this paragraph).

Author Bruce Eckel sees Java as playing an important part in the future, much like I've always felt about the Internet in general. By sharing his work with the programming public, he was able to inspect the book with a microscope, so to speak. A multitude of Java programmers helped him hone the book into the state it finally arrived at. If you're looking for a Java tutorial to top all Java tutorials, read on...

Thinking in Java will enable you to "develop a deep understanding of the language," as Eckel states in his introduction, and induce within yourself a "Java mindset." Eckel does a good job at providing examples which introduce the reader to the finer points of the Java programming language. Chapters include:

• Introduction to Objects
• Everything is an Object
• Controlling Program Flow
• Initialization and Cleanup
• Hiding the Implementation Package: The Library Unit
• Reusing Classes
• Polymorphism
• Holding your Objects
• Error Handling with Exceptions
• The Java IO System
• Run-Time Type
• Passing and Returning Objects
• Creating windows and Applets
• Multiple Threads
• Network Programming
• Design Patterns

Eckel has written the book to be truly 100 percent pure Java--that is, he doesn't go into many discussions about platform-specific coding practices. Each chapter features a summery, along with suggested exercises for the reader to accomplish before moving on to the next chapter. All the source code for these examples may be obtained from Eckel's Web site.

Although the book is written with C++ programmers in mind (as that's the background from which Eckel comes), the author makes sure to explain concepts that non C++ programmers may find confusing. Thinking in Java is over 1000 hardcore pages of concise, detailed explainations of the Java programming language and its nuances.

If you're new to programming, or want to delve into Java a little deeper, this book should be on your bookshelf. Hats off to Eckel for writing a Java book that is both easy to follow, yet exhaustive. Find out for yourself by reading a chapter or ten online! The book is available in Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, and even standard ASCII text...and of course, there's always the printed version.

---

Selections include:

• Web Publishing and Programming Resource Kit
• Java For Business
• Designing With Style Sheets, Tables, and Frames
• No Experience Required: Java 1.1
• Java Fundamental Classes Reference
• Learning Perl, 2nd Edition
• Professional Active Server Pages
• Web Client Programming with Perl
• HotWired Style: Principles for Building Smart Web Sites
• Designing With JavaScript
• Drag-n-Drop CGI
• Coloring Web Graphics 2
• Instant Dynamic HTML Programmer's Reference: NC 4 Edition
• XML: Principles, Tools and Techniques
• Professional IE4 Programming
• Secrets of Successful Web Sites
• HTML 4.0 Unleashed
• Raggett on HTML 4.0
• Java Applets and Channels Without Programming
• Programming Web Components
• Instant JavaScript
• Web Pages That Suck: Learn Good Design by Looking at Bad Design
• Information Architecture for the World Wide Web
• Using HTML4, Java 1.1, and JavaScript1.2
• Web by Design: The Complete Guide
• Designing XML Internet Applications
• XML for Dummies
• Thinking in Java
• JavaScript: The Definitive Guide
• DHTML: The Definitive Reference
• Just XML
• Web Navigation: Designing the User Experience
• Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing
• Web Performance Tuning
• The XML Handbook
• Magical A-Life Avatars
• Java Design: Building Better Apps and Applets
• StrikingItRich.com
• The CDNow Story
• NERDS 2.0.1 - A Brief History of the Internet
• Building Better Web Pages
• Poor Richard's Web Site
• Web Design in a Nutshell

Suggest a Book!