Book Review - Wicked Cool Java by Brian D. Eubanks
Category Book Reviews
There are times you just want to try something different or get a few ideas to take you in a new direction. Wicked Cool Java by Brian D. Eubanks definitely goes down that path...
Contents: Java Language and Core API; String Utilities; Processing XML and HTML; Crawling the Semantic Web; Scientific and Mathematical Applications; Graphics and Data Visualization; Multimedia and Synchronization; Fun, Integration, and Project Ideas; Glossary; Index
First off, this isn't a Java tutorial or a beginning text on how to code Java. Eubanks assumes you've already been there, done that. What he's done here is gathered a rather eclectic collection of tips and techniques that encompass both core Java functionality and external 3rd party API packages. If you haven't been keeping up with the latest version of Java, some of the material in the first chapter will touch on the new functionality such as generics and assertions. But really, you could get that in just about any Java book. Where the book really shines is when he starts introducing other Java API packages that you either 1) may not know existed, or 2) heard of but never explored. For instance, there are a number of entries that utilize the Jakarta Commons package. Based on what you see here, you might be motivated to download it and explore a bit more. Into music and sound generation? Then the sections that show the JMusic open source API would interest you. Or even JFugue... All it takes is finding out about one package you didn't know about, and the book will more than pay for itself.
Don't expect absolutely every one of the 101 entries to be of interest to you. Books like this are not designed to be 100% useful on every page. But an initial browse through the book will reveal a number of gems, and periodic re-reading could provide a serendipitous solution to a vexing problem...
There are times you just want to try something different or get a few ideas to take you in a new direction. Wicked Cool Java by Brian D. Eubanks definitely goes down that path...
Contents: Java Language and Core API; String Utilities; Processing XML and HTML; Crawling the Semantic Web; Scientific and Mathematical Applications; Graphics and Data Visualization; Multimedia and Synchronization; Fun, Integration, and Project Ideas; Glossary; Index
First off, this isn't a Java tutorial or a beginning text on how to code Java. Eubanks assumes you've already been there, done that. What he's done here is gathered a rather eclectic collection of tips and techniques that encompass both core Java functionality and external 3rd party API packages. If you haven't been keeping up with the latest version of Java, some of the material in the first chapter will touch on the new functionality such as generics and assertions. But really, you could get that in just about any Java book. Where the book really shines is when he starts introducing other Java API packages that you either 1) may not know existed, or 2) heard of but never explored. For instance, there are a number of entries that utilize the Jakarta Commons package. Based on what you see here, you might be motivated to download it and explore a bit more. Into music and sound generation? Then the sections that show the JMusic open source API would interest you. Or even JFugue... All it takes is finding out about one package you didn't know about, and the book will more than pay for itself.
Don't expect absolutely every one of the 101 entries to be of interest to you. Books like this are not designed to be 100% useful on every page. But an initial browse through the book will reveal a number of gems, and periodic re-reading could provide a serendipitous solution to a vexing problem...
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Posted by Rod Hart At 15:08:01 On 25/02/2006 | - Website - |