Book Review - Java Garage by Eben Hewitt
Category Book Reviews
I've just found another favorite series/style of tech book for learning Java. This one is Java Garage by Eben Hewitt (Prentice Hall). Quirky, funny, strange, and it rocks...
Chapter list: What is the Java Garage?; Java Buzz; Java Editions and Platforms; Compiling and Running Java Applications; Where to Write Code; Primitive Types; Operators; Control Statements; Classes; Fridge: Mmm-mmm Lamb Chops and a Manhattan; Classes Reloaded; Inheritance; Strings; Arrays; Documenting Your Code with Javadoc; Abstract Classes; Interfaces; Casting and Type Conversions; Inner Classes; Blog: Inner Classes and Event Handlers; Handling Exceptions; File Input/Output; Fridge: Guacamole; Using Regular Expressions; Creating GUIs with Swing; Blog Entry: Software Development Black Market; Dates and Times; Using Timer Tasks; Applets; Fridge: Big Daddy Flapjacks; Using System and Runtime; Using the Java Development Tools; FAQ; Packaging and Deploying Java Applications; Toolkit; System.Exit; Java Glossary on Steroids; Index
And yes, there *are* recipes for guacamole, pancakes, lamb chops, and a Manhattan in the book. I *told* you it was quirky...
This book is hard to describe. Hewitt's concept of "the garage" is a place where you go on Saturday to bang on things and hack it out. It's a place to experiment. It's where you go to be alone and to be with your friends. I look at the book and I think "zen" and "stream of consciousness". The author is talking to you in the pages, and it's not so much a tutorial as it is a couple of geeks sitting down learning a programming language by doing. And like all conversations, there are little sidebars that fill in the color and flavor of the main topic being discussed.
Looking beyond the style, the content is solid. It covers Java version 1.5, so you're getting the latest in features and techniques. There are code samples all over the place in the book, and much to my pleasure, they are commented extensively. He tells you exactly what the code is doing in the comments, so there's no guessing as to what might have been intended. Since I tend to comment in this fashion, I am thrilled to see someone else who does that too. Anyone needing to learn Java will be able to pick up this book and absorb the concepts without much effort. Even if you're already somewhat knowledgeable on Java, you'll enjoy reading the book to get a new slant on things. It's one of the few techie books that is almost an enjoyable read even if you don't need the lessons.
Java Garage is a refreshing break from the ordinary, and it will force you to shelve your expectations as to what a learning guide should be. This is a highly recommended read for beginners, and worth reading even if you've been working with Java for awhile...
I've just found another favorite series/style of tech book for learning Java. This one is Java Garage by Eben Hewitt (Prentice Hall). Quirky, funny, strange, and it rocks...
Chapter list: What is the Java Garage?; Java Buzz; Java Editions and Platforms; Compiling and Running Java Applications; Where to Write Code; Primitive Types; Operators; Control Statements; Classes; Fridge: Mmm-mmm Lamb Chops and a Manhattan; Classes Reloaded; Inheritance; Strings; Arrays; Documenting Your Code with Javadoc; Abstract Classes; Interfaces; Casting and Type Conversions; Inner Classes; Blog: Inner Classes and Event Handlers; Handling Exceptions; File Input/Output; Fridge: Guacamole; Using Regular Expressions; Creating GUIs with Swing; Blog Entry: Software Development Black Market; Dates and Times; Using Timer Tasks; Applets; Fridge: Big Daddy Flapjacks; Using System and Runtime; Using the Java Development Tools; FAQ; Packaging and Deploying Java Applications; Toolkit; System.Exit; Java Glossary on Steroids; Index
And yes, there *are* recipes for guacamole, pancakes, lamb chops, and a Manhattan in the book. I *told* you it was quirky...
This book is hard to describe. Hewitt's concept of "the garage" is a place where you go on Saturday to bang on things and hack it out. It's a place to experiment. It's where you go to be alone and to be with your friends. I look at the book and I think "zen" and "stream of consciousness". The author is talking to you in the pages, and it's not so much a tutorial as it is a couple of geeks sitting down learning a programming language by doing. And like all conversations, there are little sidebars that fill in the color and flavor of the main topic being discussed.
Looking beyond the style, the content is solid. It covers Java version 1.5, so you're getting the latest in features and techniques. There are code samples all over the place in the book, and much to my pleasure, they are commented extensively. He tells you exactly what the code is doing in the comments, so there's no guessing as to what might have been intended. Since I tend to comment in this fashion, I am thrilled to see someone else who does that too. Anyone needing to learn Java will be able to pick up this book and absorb the concepts without much effort. Even if you're already somewhat knowledgeable on Java, you'll enjoy reading the book to get a new slant on things. It's one of the few techie books that is almost an enjoyable read even if you don't need the lessons.
Java Garage is a refreshing break from the ordinary, and it will force you to shelve your expectations as to what a learning guide should be. This is a highly recommended read for beginners, and worth reading even if you've been working with Java for awhile...
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