BKJAVADR.RVW   960917
 
"Java Developer's Resource", Elliotte Rusty Harold, 1997, 0-13-570789-7,
U$26.95/C$26.95
%A   Elliotte Rusty Harold elharo@sunsite.unc.edu
%C   One Lake St., Upper Saddle River, NJ   07458
%D   1997
%G   0-13-570789-7
%I   Prentice Hall
%O   U$26.95/C$26.95 +1-201-236-7139 fax: 201-236-7131 beth_hespe@prenhall.com
%P   608
%T   "Java Developer's Resource"
 
Resourceful this book definitely is, covering all the standard topics.  In
fact, it goes a bit farther, with a chapter on how to generate VRML (Virtual
Reality Modeling Language) descriptions with Java.  Additional readings are
recommended at the end of each chapter for those who want to explore further,
and the last chapter in the book lists archive sites, lists, groups, and even a
couple of magazines on Java.  (And, Elliotte, while I could agree with you on
most Java books, you might want to have a look at "Java in a Nutshell" (cf.
BKJAVANS.RVW) and "Core Java" (cf. BKCORJAV.RVW).)
 
The most interesting thing about this book, though, is that while the author
states outright that it is for those who already know programming, no knowledge
of any specific language is assumed.  The explanations thus provided are
accessible to any intelligent reader, and therefore provide an excellent
introduction to the language, without oversimplifying to the point where the
book loses usefulness to the programming expert.  I was slightly disappointed
by the chapter on object-orientation, but only because of the high quality of
the rest of the book: the topic is covered better than in almost all other Java
books, and, indeed, better than in many object-oriented programming texts.
 
copyright Robert M. Slade, 1996   BKJAVADR.RVW   960917

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