Practical Java? Programming Language Guide

Practical Java Programming Language Guide used the "essay" style similar to "Effective C++" to explain some issues in Java. It covers General Technique,Object and Equality, Exception Handling, Performance, Multithreading and Class & Interface with total 68 'Praxis'. This 'essay' style is my favorite. It represents topics in each small 'essay' and you can easily pick up the topic you are interested in without getting lost, or just read the book from cover-to-cover. It is also very useful for checking up something in which you'd like to have more understanding. You won't get bored there!I would say this book is for intermediate to advance Java programmer. It is not a book to learn how to program in Java, it is a good book to get more understanding with Java. It will help you learn more about Java, become a better Java programmer. I feel like I've learn a lot even with my 4-years professional Java programming experience. Also, if you are new to Java, this book will help you Ace your Java interview:)Sometimes, as a programmer, we tend to forget the low-level details as to why we do things that way. For example, the difference between "==" and ".equals()", we all know we need to use .equals() to comare Object reference, use "==" for primitive data type. After reading this book, I know more about "why" we did things that way than just "what" to do. That's just a small example, I bet you'll find lots of "ah-ha" monents in reading this book.One shortcoming I'd like to point out is there are some duplicates in explaining some topic. Maybe the author wanted to emphasis some points but I feel like it is redundant. e.g. both Praxis 11 and praxis 15 talk about how to immplement equals() method which I think only one would be enough. Also, it would be great if the broadth of the topic was expanded some more.Overall, it is a great book. I've been enjoying reading it and find it very helpful. I am looking forward to something like "More practical Java programming Language Guide" coming...

'Practical Java' provides a valuable source of information for even the most seasoned Java programmer. It covers topics to a depth that is hard to find elsewhere. I found the chapters on performance and exception handling to be especially enlightening. I would recommend this book to any Java developer who wishes to have a deeper understanding of the Java language.

I wish I had had this book when I first started learning Java. Peter covers many topics that I have struggled with in great detail. I was just beginning to think I knew Java very well. Thanks to Peter now I do.

I find Peter Haggar's *Practical Java Programming Language Guide* to be a very handy companion when doing software design. Since his "Praxes" are largely independent nuggets of wisdom, I can turn to one readily when I am deliberating over a design decision in Java, and seek Peter's advice. I have also read a few of the chapters from beginning to end to gain a deeper grounding in a particular area (e.g., exception handling). In summary, this is a very to-the-point book, full of practical advice for even seasoned Java developers.

Scott Meyer's books were so useful for C++ and this one takes the same approach for Java. I have already found several tips in here that have been a big help on the job and I have only had the book a few days. I really like the way he goes to the bytecode level to provide performance analysis. I haven't seen any of the other Java books provide this type of approach and information.