Head first Java

Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates

Description

Summary: Learning a complex new language is no easy task, especially when it's an object-oriented computer programming language like Java. Your brain doesn't always want to take in the dry, technical stuff you're forced to study. Your brain craves novelty. Head First Java combines puzzles, strong visuals, mysteries, and soul-searching interviews with famous Java objects to engage you in many different ways. Despite its playful appearance, Head First Java is serious: a complete introduction to object-oriented programming and Java. Its unique approach not only shows you what you need to know about Java syntax, it teaches you to think like a Java programmer. You'll learn everything from the fundamentals to advanced topics, including threads, network sockets, and distributed programming with RMI. The second edition focuses on Java 5.0, a major update to the platform, with deep, code-level changes.--From publisher description.

Content

Latest edition,

Breaking the Surface. The way Java works. Code structure in Java. Anatomy of a class. The main() method. Looping. Conditional branching (if tests). Coding the "99 bottles of beer" app. Phrase-o-matic. Fireside chat: compiler vs. JVM. A Trip to Objectville. Chair Wars (Brad the OO guy vs. Larry the procedural guy). Inheritance (an introduction). Overriding methods (an introduction). What's in a class? (methods, instance variables). Making your first object. Using main(). Guessing Game code. Know Your Variables. Declaring a variable (Java cares about type). Primitive types ("I'd like a double with extra foam, please"). Java keywords. Reference variables (remote control to an object). Object declaration and assignment. Objects on the garbage-collectible heap. Arrays (a first look). How Objects Behave. Methods use object state (bark different). Method arguments and return types. Pass-by-value (the variable is always copied). Getters and Setters. Encapsulation (do it or risk humiliation). Using references in an array. Extra-Strength Methods. Building the Sink a Dot Com game. Starting with the Simple Dot Com game (a simpler version). Writing prepcode (pseudocode for the game). Test code for Simple Dot Com. Coding the Simple Dot Com game. Final code for Simple Dot Com. Generating random numbers with Math.random(). Ready-bake code for getting user input from the command-line. Looping with for loops. Casting primitives from a large size to a smaller size. Converting a String to an int with Integer.parseInt(). Using the Java Library. Analying the bug in the Simple Dot Com Game. ArrayList (taking advantage of the Java API). Fixing the DotCom class code. Building the real game (Sink a Dot Com). Prepcode for the real game. Code for the real game. boolean expressions. Using the library (Java API). Using packages (import statements, fully-qualified names). Using the HTML API docs and reference books. Better Living in Objectville. Understanding inheritance (superclass and su