Just Java 2 (5th Edition)

While earlier editions of this title certainly delivered the goods, the new edition beefs up the author's personal touch. At the end of each chapter, van der Linden--a true Silicon Valley insider--shares numerous war stories drawn from computing, with topics ranging from scam computer companies and products to achievements in computer history (like the invention of the mouse and the source for HAL in Stanley Kubrick's 2001). Several sections rail against the attempt to suppress algorithms that subvert DVD protection schemes (including an "illegal" long prime number and even a T-shirt that contains the "illegal" C code).

The other standout feature of this volume is the excellent use of graphics and highlighted text to enhance its presentation. While most computer programming books today don't even provide syntax highlighting for code, this one goes much further, with appealing graphics and effective use of bold text to bring out essential points, as well as to make it easier to use as a reference for getting to essential APIs quickly.

Besides excellent production values (and something of the free-spirited "edge" of programmer culture), this book covers all the bases for client-side Java in considerable depth. A product of the author's extensive teaching and computing experience, van der Linden makes "big picture" topics clear, including object-oriented programming. His patient and clear tour of the details of Java syntax and basic language features is simply one of the best.

Coverage of leading-edge topics (including emerging APIs in the new J2SE 1.4 standard) including new I/O (or "NIO"), regular expressions, and XML in Java all bring this text up to date. While some revised editions don't change much, this title breaks the mold with an excellent mix of new material and a truly stellar delivery.

Whether for classroom or at-home study, the new Just Java 2 provides a nearly unbeatable blend of expertise and presentation style. This lively and technically authoritative guide to essential Java development can now lay claim to being one of the best available tutorials on the subject available today, bar none. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered: Introduction and advantages of the Java platform (versions of Java and "future-proofing" software); tutorial to object-oriented programming (including constructors, per-instance, and per-class members); types of Java executables; Java language tutorial; keywords and data types, names, arrays, operators, inheritance and polymorphism, iteration and flow control, exceptions, assertions; Java interfaces explained; packages and visibility rules; the Java Character class in depth; threads and synchronization; mutual exclusion; garbage collection; quick introduction to design patterns; Java file I/O (including files, reading and writing text, and binary values); advanced I/O (including random file access); J2SE 1.4 new I/O (NIO) package (including memory-mapped files); big- and little-endian byte order explained; Java support for regular expressions; Java collections; utility classes (including math and calendar classes); introduction to servlets and JavaServer Pages (JSPs); Java networking (including sockets, e-mail, and a custom multithreaded HTTP server); Remote Method Invocation (RMI); Swing GUI event handling; applet basics; Swing component tutorial; layouts; JavaBeans for custom UI objects; Java security; tutorial for SQL and databases; JDBC basics; introduction to XML (including DOM and SAX support); and an appendix on AWT control programming.