Becoming Proficient in Java

To become a proficient Java programmer, you have to become familiar with the Java language as well as the classes and methods available in various Java APIs. The best way to do so is to begin using some of these classes in your Java programs-whether you are writing applets, servlets, or standalone programs. Unfortunately, this chapter simply does not have enough room to cover all of the Java APIs in detail. It really takes an entire book (maybe more) to cover Java programming in detail. Because Java is very popular, there is no shortage of reference material on Java. In fact, the problem is in deciding which one of the many Java books best suits your needs. Here are a few suggestions for reference books on Java programming:

Ken Arnold, James Gosling, and David Holmes, The Java Programming Language, 3rd Edition (Addison-Wesley, 2000). You may want a copy of this book for the very reason that C++ programmers may want a copy of The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup (Addison-Wesley, 1997)-James Gosling is the originator of Java. This book provides a concise and precise presentation of how Java works and why. It's not a tutorial guide, but professional Java developers will find this book worthwhile.
Barry Burd, Java 2 For Dummies (John Wiley & Sons, 2001). This is a good introduction to Java 2 in the popular and well-known Dummies style.

For Java APIs, look for API documentations, tutorials, and code samples at Sun's Java website at the following URL:

http://developer.java.sun.com/developer/infodocs/