Java J2se 1.4 Core Platform U Pdate

My previous review was on "Early Adopter J2SE 1.4", which has been superceded by "J2SE 1.4 Core Platform Update".My previous rating and comments only applied to "Early Adopter J2SE 1.4", which is not available anymore. The new book has fixed some errors and had extended information on the new 1.4 features. That's why I recommend the book.

This book, as part of the Wrox "Early Adopter" series, explains some of the new features of J2SE 1.4. This new version of Java has many improvements over prior versions and also contains quite a bit of added functionality. The book is very well done and gives excellent examples of some of this new functionality. However some new features have been left out including print service and some AWT and Swing enhancements. The information included, however, covers some of the more complex features of this release. The book starts with excellent coverage of the new I/O features and the Java Network Launch Protocol (JNLP). The chapter on XML, however, seems unnecessary. Although this version of Java is the first to include XML support, the JAXP, SAX, and DOM information is not new and is readily available from many published sources. The author's coverage of enhancements to the java.util package (especially regular expressions) is very good. The chapter on language enhancements is a bit confusing because the author starts the chapter with items that are not included in this release. This information would have been better placed in a separate appendix. The book ends with a section on possible enhancements for the next release of Java. The section on JAXB will be good news for many developers since it is available as an early access release. The book does not contain an index. Anyone interested in the new features of Java will find this book very useful.

I purchased this boot about a month ago and all I have to say is BUY THIS BOOK!!! This is trully a book writted by a developer for a developer...there is not much fluf...If you are like me an like a book that is to-the-point and packed full of example code that actually works then this book is for you.This is an excelent book for the experienced Java Developer but I would not recommend this book to someone getting started with Java.

This is a great place to get abreast of the changes that J2SE has undergone and the new facilities it offers in the latest version, until recently known by the codename Merlin.Lets face it - we hardly get time in our professional lives to keep pace with the changes that occur in the programming environs. The project pressures, the design changes, the volatile development environment and the need to deliver projects with full functionality and on time force us to keep working on older technologies because they are stable and within our comfort zone. For the first time in these circles, this is an attempt to explain indepth all that can be done with the new release of Java 2 Standard Edition. It is a must have book for all the Java Programmers for two reasons. One, eventually we all need to move toward the new technology. And what better way to do this than getting guidance from people who have had their hands dirty in it. Second, when others are still dangling in the darkness of ignorance, this book gives you a headstart with J2SE 1.4. (Looks good on your resume, huh?)Not only that, I also recommend this book for newcomers to the language, because once you get the fundamentals right, you need to start working with the latest JDK right away. As far as the coverage of the book goes, it is exhaustive, informative and very useful. Topics like the new I/O framework, assertions and JNLP have been covered in detail. Extensive code snippets have been provided at appropriate places to make things crystal clear.To make things simple - this is a very good book. Its a must buy for any serious Java Developer. And my recommendation is: Go get your copy now, or you'll be left behind

"Early Adopter J2SE 1.4" is a very compact and nice book on J2SE 1.4! It is written for Java developers wanting to use J2SE 1.4 for the first time. J2SE 1.4 features much more far-reaching alterations than J2SE 1.3 featured including an amendment to the Java language specification, and many changes to the runtime environment. This is why this book is so useful to get you started with J2SE 1.4. It covers what's new and what's changed in J2SE 1.4. The book covers new language features (like, Assertions, and Generics) including many interesting discussions and examples about new stuff such as Java Network Launch Protocol (JNLP), Java Architecture for XML Binding (JAXB), New IO (NIO), and so on.A timely book and covers material well.