"We’ll be doing this next project in Java."
Unfortunately, you’re a C++ programmer, or maybe a Python programmer. How are you going to get up to speed in a hurry? There are lots of Java books for beginners, telling you all about what a computer is and how it represents everything in bits. You don’t need that. At the other extreme, there are thousand-page tomes that you aren’t going to get through in a few days, if ever. You need something in-between.
This book is intended to fill that gap. It’s written for the programmer who doesn’t need to be taught how to program, just how to do it in Java—and who needs to get started in a hurry.
Java is covered from the inside out. First, all the things that go inside a class, most of which are practically identical to C++. After that, all the various and complicated kinds of classes and interfaces and how they relate to each other in large-scale programs.
Testing is essential, so (unlike most Java books) JUnit is covered in detail. Then, in case you need to go in that direction, some functional programming, a little about parallel programming, and more than enough to get you started in building GUIs (graphical user interfaces) and doing animation.
There’s a lot in this little book and, despite my best efforts, you won’t learn Java in a weekend. But it should be a good start.
FEATURES
- Circular approach allows very fast entry into Java
- Full description of JUnit testing
- Summary of functional programming in Java
- Introduction to synchronization and parallel processing
- Extensive description of building GUIs
1. A Lightning Tour of Java
2. Preliminaries
3. The "Inner Language" of Java
4. The "Outer Language" of Java
5. Advanced Java
6. Functional Programming
7. Unit Testing
8. GUIs and Dialogs
9. How to Build a GUI Program
10. Threads and Animation
Biography
David L. Matuszek was Director of the Masters in Computer and Information Technology course at the University of Pennsylvania, USA (2001-2017). With 40 years teaching experience, and 45 years programming experience, David is skilled in both the design of innovative software systems and in teaching others how to master programming languages in an accessible and engaging way.
“When a gifted teacher presents a new concept, they first cover every needed building block. The new concept becomes such a necessary and obvious extension of those building blocks, it feels like something you already knew. That is how Dave Matuszek’s books read. In sparse, concise language he tells you exactly what you most need to know about programming, and lays it all out so clearly and logically it seems inevitable. His cheerful, intuitive examples progress step by step from introductory to advanced stages carrying you along painlessly.
I cannot recommend this series highly enough to anyone wanting a quick primer on a language they have yet to use. Whether a computer science student or a self-taught programmer, there are treats in store.”
- Martha Palmer, Arts and Sciences Professor of Distinction for Linguistics, and the former Helen & Hubert Croft Professor of Engineering in the Computer Science Department, University of Colorado Boulder, USA.
“Dr. David Matuszek has written a great series of books on programming that will be of interest to many experienced programmers… These short, well-written books can help programmers master a new language or technique rapidly and have fun doing so.”
- Tim Finin, Willard and Lillian Hackerman Chair in Engineering and a Computer Science and Electrical Engineering professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).
