Java Magazine, Jan/Feb 2016
ORACLE COM JAVAMAGAZINE JANUARY FEBRUARY 2016 11 A common question asked by developers new to Java is which book is the best introduction to the language The answer really depends on what exactly theyre looking for If its a detailed explanation of the language that explains every aspect and idiom and can serve as a reference later on then the book to get is Core Java which I review next If however they would rather not work through hundreds of pages but would prefer a hands on experience in which they write small programs that quickly teach the language in a series of graduated projects then the latest entry in the Murachs Beginning Java series which I examine in the second part of this review is the book I recommend Core Java announces its historical success by noting that this volume is the 10th edition Not many books are popular enough to warrant the publisher releasing 10 editions But Core Java provides such a deep explanation of the language that most readers will want the book to be always close at hand This tome at an impressive 1040 pages is only Volume I of a two volume set Volume II will be published shortly If the division of coverage is similar to earlier editions it will weigh in at about 1000 pages as well Between the two books there is no aspect of the language or its principal libraries that is not explained in detail Volume I presents everything a mainstream programmer will need to know about Java 8 the basics of the language including generics lambdas and other advanced features collections concurrency and curiously graphics programming with Swing In addition there is a lengthy section on building and deploying Java programs Volume II is scheduled to cover Java 8 streams XML and JSON processing JNI JNDI networking databases and JDBC and so on Essentially Volume I is the pure language and Volume II is key libraries as well as lesserused language features What makes Core Java the definitive work on the language is more than its vast scope it is the quality of the presentation Explanations are supremely clear code examples are meticulous and highly approachable and the pacing and sequencing are spot on In addition if a topic requires background to make the Java examples easier to understand the author the well regarded Cay Horstmann has no difficulty spending several pages on the conceptual issues before starting in on Javaspecific details This patience and his preference for complete information is particularly noticeable in the chapters that deal with Java objects There java books CORE JAVA VOLUME I FUNDAMENTALS 10TH EDITION By Cay S Horstmann Prentice Hall
You must have JavaScript enabled to view digital editions.
