Just Java 2

[Angela Poynton]

My favorite all purpose Java book. When I started with Java, I browsed over 30
books and read twelve. At the time, Just Java 1.1 had just come out and it was the one
that made everything click in my head. Now, whenever I want to try something new, or I
want a refresher on some part of Java, this is the book I turn to first. The author has an
excellent sense of humor and a way of writing that makes the topic seem obvious. The
author is also a Java kernel developer, so you can be sure he knows what he's talking
about. Be sure to look for "alternative material" on the CD (trailboss Jan 2000)

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[Cindy Glass]

This is a great general java book. Easy to read. Good coverage. And it's fun.

[Alex Ayzin]

I know that majority of people here are high on "Just Java2". Allow me to disagree. Even though it's a matter of my opinion, I found that book to be neither textbook, nor reference guide. It's a fun reading but... Many inconsistencies, DEFINETELY you need C/C++ background(even the author says so) to compehend the material. Overall - not bad, but not on the top of the list.
Regards,
--Alex

[Cindy Glass]

This is a thread from Meaningless Drivel that has been going on:
http://www.javaranch.com/ubb/Forum32/HTML/000591.html

[Book Review Team]

<pre>
Author/s : Peter van der Linden
Publisher : Sun Microsystems Press
Category : Beginning Java
Review by : Marilyn de Queiroz
Rating : 9 horseshoes</pre>
The fifth edition of Peter van der Linden's book is an excellent introduction to Java 2. I found this book to be not only an informative and well-written view of Java, but also relaxed and amusing. At the end of each chapter is a section called 'Some Light Relief'.
The author now introduces Java to the beginning programmer as well as bringing the book more up to date by covering the new items in Java 1.4. He explains OOP concepts in plain English and uses illustrations. Small code snippets are used to demonstrate where needed, and he even builds a small webserver to demonstrate networking. He covers topics such as running servlets and JSPs on Tomcat, Java Beans, EJBs, networking, sockets and IO, including the new IO classes, advanced Thread topics, and RMI after he covers the basics of Java.
This book is not meant for people who are looking for a text to help them pass the Sun certification exams, but it will certainly help with understanding how the language works. In addition, the author has added exercises to help you consolidate and expand on what you have learned in each chapter.
The book also includes a CD which contains not only the sample programs developed in each chapter, but dozens of useful Java programs and utilities such as decompilers and obfuscators. It also contains a C/C++ editor and compiler, TCL, Perl and Python language kits and a number of Windows utility programs and shareware.
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[ February 18, 2003: Message edited by: Book Review Team ]

[Book Review Team]

<pre>Author/s : Peter van der Linden
Publisher : Prentice Hall PTR
Category : Beginning Java
Review by : Dirk Schreckmann
Rating : 9 horseshoes
</pre>
I wish I'd had a copy of Peter van der Linden's "Just Java 2" when I first began to learn Java programming. This is the best introductory Java book I've read. It's also an excellent reference for experienced developers, with twenty-eight chapters of clear and concise explanations on J2SE topics, plus coverage of some J2EE topics, including JDBC, networking, servlets and JSPs, XML and web services.

If you're not quite sure how some part of the Java language or API works, if perhaps a new feature in Java 5, such as generics or auto-boxing (sorry, no coverage on annotations), is unfamiliar territory, you will understand it and how to use it after reading Peter's explanations. On every page, it shows that Peter understands what experienced developers should know, as he explains the purpose, mechanism and use of topic after topic, providing very informative breadth and depth.

If you're brand new to programming, you'll likely want to get hold of another introductory programming resource, and use "Just Java 2" as *the* reference for gaining a strong understanding of Java programming concepts.

Alas, the book no longer includes a CD with example code and miscellaneous utilities. The back cover of the book suggests that all the example programs are available at http://afu.com/jj6, but they aren't, yet. Don't despair. I'd bet they'll be available soon.


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[Dirk Schreckmann]

To be clear, I reveiwed the sixth edition of this book.

[Gjorgi Var]

Great book indeed... any links to the answers of end-of-chapter exercises?

[Patrick Joseph]

I also would like to see the official answers to compare with.