The Art of Java

I've never quite been able to figure out why this excellent little book never caught on. Over the years, Herbert Schildt has been one of the most excellent writers on computer science and programming that I have found, and this book is no exception. Both the narrative and the code are excellent. The only thing that I can figure is that because this book does not target a particular audience - say those interested in enterprise applications for example - that it never really sold well. It is true, Mr. Schildt is all over the map in his applications - with such varied subjects as a recursive descent parser and also a language interpreter from programming language theory, from the world of web applications a download manager and also a web crawler, and from the world of artificial intelligence a problem solver. To me, though, that is part of this book's appeal. However, if you did not have an academic computer science background I can see how you might not be interested in the programming language and AI parts of the book. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to become a better Java programmer and does not mind spending some time looking at applications that might not be of immediate need to them. Especially if you have an academic computer science background and already know something about programming language theory and artificial intelligence, this book should be very interesting and very helpful.

I've buyed the book today ( in spanish ), and, even not being a skilled Java programmer, I've enjoyed the first chapters. It resembles me the excelent work that Herbert Schildt does in Dr. Dobbs Magazine, a lot of years ago ( sorry, Herb ), and when I saw the getToken() method into the code, this inmediatelly remembers me the "Build your own C interpreter" article, which I've loved it. After five years of "boring" network's administration, I've make the decission of to get more involved into Java developement, and take the Herbert and James's book was the right choice to me. By the way, this is not a beginner's book, but with a little effort, and a middle knowledge of Java and OOP, you are on the way. The best money I've spended.

I came across this book recently and was intrigued by the concept. After having read it I'm thoroughly pleased. Most books don't show you how to do the "cool stuff" in programming. This book does that. I've always wondered how AI type programming worked and this book shed some light on it in a real-world fashion. I also enjoyed the chapters on programming Internet-based applications. I have so many ideas now that I know how things work behind the scenes. I definitely recommend this book to others who enjoy tinkering with different types of programs. You'll learn alot!

This is a truly outstanding book and is surely a "must-read" for any serious Java programmer.The authors are touted as "two genuine Java gurus". Admittedly, I am unfamiliar with one (James Holmes), but the other - Herbert Schildt - I well remember from University days as having written the most in-depth and definitive tome on C programming I had ever seen (and has since moved on to do the same for C++ and C#).This is not a "how-to" Java programming book or an introductory work. Those new to Java will be out of their depth here.Instead, "The Art of Java" is a brilliant guide to producing intensely useful and technical Java applications, ranging through parsing numeric expressions, building a Web crawler (adhering to well-defined protocols), implementing an actual computer language, building a complete e-mail subsystem, constructing a streamlined download manager, and more.These are sophisticated and fascinating Java programs reflecting deep concepts in computer science. The chapters - and their applications - are not merely individual, isolated, programs with no bearing on what has gone before. Rather, each chapter seeks to demonstrate particular features and technologies of Java, with the applications really only being to illustrate the concept - it just so happens they are highly significant and real-world applications, and not simply trite pieces of code as would be found in lesser programming works.Where this title excels is in its masterful respect and love of the Java language. This is where the "art" in the title comes in; the authors clearly have a passion for Java and its capabilities. The very first chapter even strives to expound on this, where the authors wax lyrical on the pure "genius of Java" itself.If you love Java, this is a must buy!

I just got my copy and it looks great! Schildt and Holmes have done an outstanding job on this one. Unlike so many other books, which only teach the basics of Java, this book demonstrates how to use Java to actually do something practical! My two favorite chapters are Schildt's expression parser and Holmes' Web crawler. I whole heartedly recommend this book to any serious Java programmer