Book Description
Java just keeps growing, adding features, functionality, complexity, and tempting developers to growl with frustration. The new 1.4 release of Java 2 Standard edition increases the size of the platform by 50%, to 2757 classes in 135 packages. How are you going to figure out what this means for your applications? As always, Java in a Nutshell has the answers. The new 4th edition still contains an accelerated introduction to the Java programming language and its key APIs so you can start writing code right away. And with more than 250 new pages, author David Flanagan quickly brings you up to speed on new features that come with version 1.4:High-performance NIO API Support for pattern matching with regular expressions A logging API A user preferences API New Collections classes An XML-based persistence mechanism for Java Beans Support for XML parsing using both the DOM and SAX APIs User authentication with the JAAS API Support for secure network connections using the SSL protocol Support for cryptography The book contains O'Reilly's classic quick-reference for all the classes in the essential Java packages, so you can dive in and find what you need to make the new 1.4 version work for you. For as long as Java developers have existed, Java in a Nutshell has been ready, willing and able to take you right to the heart of the program, turning those frustrated grrrrss into purrrss of satisfaction. No wonder readers of Java Developer's Journal voted this the "Best Java Book" the past two years in a row!


Book Info
Still contains an accelerated introduction to the Java programming language and its key APIs so you can start writing code right away. Covers Java 1.4. Softcover.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
With each new version of Java, it gets tougher to fit this language in a "Nutshell." Java 2 Standard Edition 1.4 is some 50 percent bigger than its predecessor: 2,757 classes in 135 packages. Fortunately, David Flanagan and his coauthors are up to the challenge. Java in a Nutshell, Fourth Edition, fully updated for J2SE 1.4, contains some 250 pages of new coverage.

What's new? For one thing, lots of XML stuff -- from the new JavaBeans XML-based persistence mechanism to support for XML processing with DOM Level 2 and SAX 2.0. There are new I/O APIs, which improve Java performance in buffer management, network and file I/O, and other key areas. There's JAAS, Sun's toolset for authentication and authorization, part of the core J2SE platform for the first time. There are improvements to the collection classes, designed to simplify programming and -- again -- improve performance. There's textual pattern matching with regular expressions. There's a new API for managing user preference and configuration data.

Flanagan covers all this and more. And, as in previous editions, the comprehensive reference material is supplemented by an exceptionally concise and well-thought-out overview of Java programming. You'll crack this Nutshell -- every day. (Bill Camarda)

Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer with nearly 20 years' experience in helping technology companies deploy and market advanced software, computing, and networking products and services. He served for nearly ten years as vice president of a New Jersey–based marketing company, where he supervised a wide range of graphics and web design projects. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2000 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks For Dummies®, Second Edition.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

This bestselling book is an essential quick reference for all Java programmers. It contains an accelerated introduction to the Java language and its key APIs, so seasoned programmers can start writing Java code right away. This book also includes O'Reilly's trusted quick-reference material for all the classes in the essential Java packages, including java.lang, java.io, java.beans, java.math, java.net, java.text, and java.util. This reference covers many the new classes in Java 1.4, including the NIO, logging, and XML functionality. Once you've learned Java, you'll keep this book next to your keyboard for handy reference while you program. This book is part of the multi-volume set of quick references that every Java programmer will want. It is an essential companion to Java Foundation Classes in a Nutshell, which covers the graphics, printing, and GUI APIs in the Java 2 platform, including Swing, AWT, and Java 2D. A third volume, Java Enterprise in a Nutshell, focuses on the Java Enterprise APIs and is of interest to programmers working on server-side or enterprise Java applications. A fourth volume, J2ME in a Nutshell, covers the new Java 2 Micro Edition APIs and explores its use in limited-resource devices.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

O'Reilly books are rarely for neophytes, but advanced users swear by them, and these will be no exception. Englander covers a hot Java subtopic for students, programmers, and professionals already familar with Java and object-oriented programming. He discusses events, event adapters, properties, persistence, java archive files, the BeanBox tool, property editors, ActiveX, and the java.beans Package. Flanagan's work is the book Java programmers want nearby when they are at the keyboard. A complete ready-reference work, this belongs in all collections supporting programmers. Java is a constantly changing language so Nutshell will be coming out often with new editions; always have the newest one on hand. Reese goes beyond simple applet design to relational databases, SQL, object-oriented database applications, application servers, and remote object manipulation. The examples used throughout the book are based on a banking application designed in Java.

Library Journal

O'Reilly books are rarely for neophytes, but advanced users swear by them, and these will be no exception. Englander covers a hot Java subtopic for students, programmers, and professionals already familar with Java and object-oriented programming. He discusses events, event adapters, properties, persistence, java archive files, the BeanBox tool, property editors, ActiveX, and the java.beans Package. Flanagan's work is the book Java programmers want nearby when they are at the keyboard. A complete ready-reference work, this belongs in all collections supporting programmers. Java is a constantly changing language so Nutshell will be coming out often with new editions; always have the newest one on hand. Reese goes beyond simple applet design to relational databases, SQL, object-oriented database applications, application servers, and remote object manipulation. The examples used throughout the book are based on a banking application designed in Java.

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