htweight to be the definitive reference, if you want an overview and some sample code, this book is the place to start.
The authors are members of the Java development team at Sun, so they can perhaps be forgiven for spending the first part of the book detailing the Zen of Java and hyping its security and portability features. But it is disappointing that
they don't even mention the update to Java expected from Sun later this year and don't discuss Netscape's Internet language called JavaScript.
They go into detailed discussion of the sample Java applets included on a bound-in CD-ROM. And the book contains URLs that link to other applets and to sites that contain up-to-date information on Java. Unfortunately, though the CD-ROM has the Java Development Kit (JDK) for Windows 95 and NT and Solaris 2.x, the book does not go into great depth about using the JDK or the javac compiler. But the discussion of Java syntax and the basic Java classes is a good introduction to the environment.
Only Netscape Navigator 2.0 and Sun's own HotJava browsers support Java as of this writing, but more are on the way, including ones for America Online and Microsoft Internet Explorer. But before Java can truly gain hold on the Web, more developers and users must become familiar with its capabilities and limitations.
Hooked on Java
is certainly not the last wor
d, but it's a good introduction to a promising new technology.
Rex Baldazo (
rbaldazo@bix.com
) works in BYTE's Reviews department.
Baby's First Java Book
