D: Recommended reading

Java in a Nutshell: A Desktop Quick Reference, 2nd Edition, by David Flanagan, O’Reilly & Assoc. 1997. A compact summary of the online documentation of Java 1.1. Personally, I prefer to browse the docs from java.sun.com online, especially since they change so often. However, many folks still like printed documentation and this fits the bill; it also provides more discussion than the online documents.

The Java Class Libraries: An Annotated Reference, by Patrick Chan and Rosanna Lee, Addison-Wesley 1997. What the online reference should have been: enough description to make it usable. One of the technical reviewers for Thinking in Java said, “If I had only one Java book, this would be it (well, in addition to yours, of course).” I’m not as thrilled with it as he is. It’s big, it’s expensive, and the quality of the examples doesn’t satisfy me. But it’s a place to look when you’re stuck and it seems to have more depth (and sheer size) than Java in a Nutshell.

Java Network Programming, by Elliote Rusty Harold, O’Reilly 1997. I didn’t begin to understand Java networking until I found this book. I also find his Web site, Café au Lait, to be a stimulating, opinionated, and up-to-date perspective on Java developments, unencumbered by allegiances to any vendors. His almost daily updating keeps up with fast-changing news about Java. See http://sunsite.unc.edu/javafaq/.

Core Java, 3^rd Edition, by Cornell & Horstmann, Prentice-Hall 1997. A good place to go for questions you can’t find the answers to in Thinking in Java. Note: the Java 1.1 revision is Core Java 1.1 Volume 1 – Fundamentals & Core Java 1.1 Volume 2 – Advanced Features.

JDBC Database Access with Java, by Hamilton, Cattell & Fisher (Addison-Wesley, 1997). If you know nothing about SQL and databases, this is a nice, gentle introduction. It also contains some of the details as well as an “annotated reference” to the API (again, what the online reference should have been). The drawback, as with all books in The Java Series (“The ONLY Books Authorized by JavaSoft”) is that it’s been whitewashed so that it says only wonderful things about Java – you won’t find out about any dark corners in this series.

Java Programming with CORBA Andreas Vogel & Keith Duddy (John Wiley & Sons, 1997). A serious treatment of the subject with code examples for the three main Java ORBs (Visibroker, Orbix, Joe).

Design Patterns, by Gamma, Helm, Johnson & Vlissides (Addison-Wesley 1995). The seminal book that started the patterns movement in programming.

UML Tookit, by Hans-Erik Eriksson & Magnus Penker, (John Wiley & Sons, 1997). Explains UML and how to use it, and has a case study in Java. An
accompanying CD-ROM contains the Java code and a cut-down version of Rational Rose. An excellent introduction to UML and how to use it to build a real system.

Practical Algorithms for Programmers, by Binstock & Rex (Addison-Wesley 1995). The algorithms are in C, so they’re fairly easy to translate into Java. Each algorithm is thoroughly explained