The art of java???

[Ashok C. Mohan]

Hi Schildt and Holmes,
Can u tell me why you have named your book as "The Art of Java"??? Is programming in java an art???This question has ocuured to me long back,when i started programming in java.When i tried to analyse,i found that an art is something which is not bound by any rules,but java is different is'nt it?It is more of following certain rules and creating an expected output...Please post your valuable comments on this

[mark evertz]

Interesting question!
Who postulated that art is not bounded to rules?
Think of music in it's different forms.
There are always rules a musician has to follow (composition, scales, chords etc.). Even in so called free forms (e.g. modern, free-jazz etc.)
there are rules (at least spontaneous) of communication.
I have to admit, that the process of creation is more imaginative in most art forms! Here way play with parameters to see what output we could achieve instead of focussing the goal from the very beginning (as it is supposed to be in engineering disciplines). But I fear that all these comparisons are to small minded.
There are always more similarities, which are worth to look at to extend the personal view!
Actually I'm very interested in the books topic and I'm very curious to read it!
Mark

[Ruby Martinus]

I think programming in java is an art. Although we have to follow rules, which is of course necessary to avoid chaos and also creating an expected output, there are many ways to do it, and I think that's the art of it.
Eg. someone can create everything in the main() method or someone else can create several methods and classes that makes it clear what does what, and that's the art.

[Mahesh G Patil]

Whatever it is. For me this book looks interesting one and I would definitely like to have a look at this one. Especially its because of the contents and the authors.
Mahesh

[Jeroen Wenting]

According to your definition that art is not bounded by rules almost nothing counts as art.
Language is bounded by many rules (I'm talking written and spoken language as well as programming language and music here).
There's grammar rules, spelling rules, entire dictionaries of words defining what has meaning and what has not.
Similarly there are strict rules to visual media (paintings, photographs, movies) about where to place subjects, lighting, etc. etc..
Architecture (which can be an art form as well IMO) has extremely strict rules.
Yet in all those areas people create art.
The art can be in either making optimal use of those rules to create something original as well as in determining where and how to break or bend the rules to create an unexpected but important (usually pleasing) effect you desire.
It is the same in programming. A well written piece of code to me can read like a piece of literature, where a poorly written piece of code looks like a newspaper headline or bargain bin novella.

[Avi Nash]

Hi
Its seems from the Table of Contents, that each chapter deals with one application. I want to know does each application is being designed using appropriate design considerations and design patterns, as designing an application is an art by itself.
thx

[Herb Schildt]

Hi All!
Here is what James and I say in the preface to the book:
"This book is different from most other books on Java. Whereas other books teach the basics of the language, this book shows how to apply it to some of computing's most interesting, useful, and, at times, mysterious programming tasks. In the process, it displays the power, versatility, and elegance of the Java language. Thus, it is through the art of Java that the artistry of Java's design is displayed."
As a point of interest, the "Art of" title has a long history in programming literature. For example, Donald Knuth's landmark work is the trilogy titled "The Art of Computer Programming". His books helped define the discipline of programming.

[Ilja Preuss]

To me, software development in general is a quite creative activity, and therefore certainly can be seen as a kind of art. Programming in Java is not special in this area, in my opinion.

[Cal Abao]

About "Art of .." just wondering ... I have never heard of programming
referred to as a "science" before even though there are courses called
"Computer Science"

[David Crossett]

If Java (or programming) isn't an art, then any bozo could do it, and do it as well as any other bozo. Obviously, there are different levels of thinking that goes into developing software. It IS a science to make a computer respond to a user in a predictable way - simple cause and effect. However, to develop software that can grow and change over time (OOP), and to create solutions to complex problems using the limitations you're given (whether these limitations are called Java, C++, or VB) - THAT is an art. If you look at a painting, isn't it simply a canvas and some oil paints? Science created the tools, the artist created the Mona Lisa.

[Ko Ko Naing]

Originally posted by David Crossett:
If you look at a painting, isn't it simply a canvas and some oil paints? Science created the tools, the artist created the Mona Lisa.

So it seems like the Keyboard, the mouse, the monitor and the system unit are the science, and the "applications" created is the art... Then is it possible to call a programmer as an artist (or) programming artist?

[Ilja Preuss]

If you look at a painting, isn't it simply a canvas and some oil paints? Science created the tools, the artist created the Mona Lisa.

I once saw a documentation on a man who makes a living of mixing paints for the great artists. I'd actually think of him as an artist, too.
I think the greatest things happen when art and science conjoin.

[Pradeep bhatt]

I was wondering if The Art of Javacould be the best selling book?