Java Programming: From the Beginning - Softcover

SUITABLE FOR THE CLASSROOM OR FOR SELF-STUDY, JAVA PROGRAMMING FROM THE BEGINNING PUTS BASIC JAVA DEVELOPMENT AND OBJECT-ORIENTED DESIGN INTO THE HANDS OF ANY COMPUTER-LITERATE READER. ASSUMING NO KNOWLEDGE OF COMPUTERS--EXCEPT, OF COURSE, AN APTITUDE FOR PROGRAMMING AND A WILLINGNESS TO LEARN--THIS TEXTBOOK IS ONE OF THE MORE ACCESSIBLE AND WELL-PRESENTED INTRODUCTIONS TO JAVA AVAILABLE TODAY. THE AUTHOR IS AN EXPERIENCED COLLEGE TEACHER, AND THE BOOK'S EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION STYLE IS ARGUABLY ITS MAJOR STRENGTH. EARLY CHAPTERS RELY ON SIMPLE MATHEMATICAL EXAMPLES (SUCH AS CONVERTING TEMPERATURES FROM FAHRENHEIT TO CELSIUS, OR AVERAGING GRADES). OTHER EXAMPLES LOOK AT PARSING SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS OR STORING ENTRIES FROM A TELEPHONE BOOK. JAVA PROGRAMMING DOES A GOOD JOB OF PRESENTING THE BASICS OF OBJECT-ORIENTED DESIGN IN TERMS OF BOTH DESIGNING CUSTOM CLASSES AND TAKING ADVANTAGE OF EXISTING JAVA CLASSES, SUCH AS STRING, STRINGBUFFER, AND VECTOR OBJECTS. OF COURSE, ALONG THE WAY, THE BASICS OF JAVA SYNTAX ARE COVERED, INCLUDING MANY OF ITS KEYWORDS, OPERATORS, AND DATA TYPES. ALTHOUGH IT'S SUITABLE FOR A COLLEGE CLASSROOM, THIS TEXTBOOK IS NEVER ACADEMIC OR DULL. THE COLLOQUIAL AND FRIENDLY WRITING STYLE PRESENTS THE ESSENTIALS OF JAVA WITHOUT EVER GETTING BOGGED DOWN IN THEORY. BESIDES COMMAND-LINE PROGRAMS, YOU'LL LEARN ALSO HOW TO DO BASIC GRAPHICS IN JAVA, AND EVEN PLAY SIMPLE GAMES (LIKE BLACKJACK). THE CUSTOM CLASSES THAT ARE PRESENTED IN THIS BOOK MAKE IT SIMPLER TO WORK WITH JAVA, EVEN FOR BEGINNERS. EVERY CHAPTER PROVIDES EXTENSIVE REVIEW SUMMARIES OF THE IMPORTANT POINTS THAT ARE DEMONSTRATED IN EACH SECTION, AS WELL AS A HANDFUL OF EXERCISES THAT'LL LET YOU TRY OUT MATERIAL ON YOUR OWN. NOW THAT JAVA IS USED ROUTINELY AS A FIRST PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE IN MANY COLLEGES, JAVA PROGRAMMING FROM THE BEGINNING FILLS A USEFUL NICHE. IT'S ALSO AN EXCELLENT HOME-STUDY CHOICE FOR THE READER WHO APPREC