Hardcore Java

by Robert Simmons Jr.

This book reveals the difficult and rarely understood secrets of Java that true master programmers need to know. In the same spirit as Josh Bloch's bestselling Effective Java (Addison Wesley) but unique and much wider in scope, Hardcore Java focuses on the set of APIs a developer must use to create standalone applications. This amazing book explores in detail the advanced, powerful aspects of application design and programming.Becoming a master programmer isn't accomplished by wishing. It takes hard work, patience and, usually, an expert who will take the time to teach programmers how to understand and use the most difficult concepts in the language. But what about developers who have no master Java programmer willing to teach them?Java was the first "platform-independent" programming language. If a programmer writes an application with Java for the Windows environment, that application can also be run Linux, Mac OS X or any operating system that supports software known as the Java Virtual Machine. Java is an object-oriented language (as is C++) that can be used create standalone applications, such as spreadsheets or a graphics programs. Because a JVM can be embedded in another application, like a web browser, Java can also be used to write mini-applications, called applets, which run within a larger application.Touted as a "revolutionary" language when it appeared in 1995, Java continues to make inroads in the programming community. According to an IDC survey, the number of Java programmers will top 4 million by the end of 2003, and a survey by Gartner Inc. found that a preponderance of IT professionals use Java in their companies. Web developers who code in HTML are also attracted to Java as a way to extend their capabilities, and non-programmers intrigued by an otherwise untouchable high tech world are drawn to Java because it doesn't involve writing endless lines of code. Hard Core Java is an advanced book that focuses on the little-touched but critical parts o

Genres: Programming, Technical, Technology, Computers

354 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit disappointing for me, I expected a little more.
From my point of view it is a bit too focused on Reflection, which is something to avoid.
The book was written before Java 1.5 (Tiger) was released, so some ot the issues it covers are outdated, even though it tries to describe some of the "future" Tiger's features.
Anyway, it presents some tricks and tips on the internal workings of the JVM that are not commonly known (at least I was not aware of them), so it can be worthwhile to take a look at this book.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Especially the chapter about the "final" modifier was enlightening.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the chapters on constants and refs very much.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unless you worked on the java compiler, this book will teach you a few dozen things.