Sams Teach Yourself Java 2 in 21 Days: Professional Reference Edition Book

With many books dedicated to advanced Java programming topics you need a firm foundation in the Java language before they're useful. Sams Teach Yourself Java 2 in 21 Days provides those foundations. The original version of this book proved popular and thankfully this new version is written in the same easy style. However this time round it covers Java 2 version 1.3 (so Swing replaces AWT, for example when writing visual interfaces) and adds sections on technologies which have subsequently become important. Despite the name there are actually 28 sections--the last seven being intended to occupy a bonus week. It deals with writing servlets, JSP, reading XML files and other Java extras. The majority of the book is a well-structured, lucid course in Java fundamentals with plenty of discussion of Java features and best practice. The authors go as far as line numbering example code for easier reference in the text. The authors are particularly strong on areas where programmers are often weak. The section on error handling for example is excellent, with examples of both good and bad practice--useful even though your code never has any errors. The accompanying CD contains all the example code, the SDK 1.3 and Forte for Java (Community Edition)--though you'll get more from the book if you input the examples yourself. Overall, Sams Teach Yourself Java 2 In 21 Days is the first book any budding Java programmer should buy. --Steve PatientRead More