The growth of Java during the last few years has been phenomenal. It has now emerged as the language of choice of the world computing community due to its simplicity, portability, and security. Java, the only pure object-oriented language available today, is now used in almost all applications, from simple home appliances control systems to complex space control systems. It has also revolutionized application development for intranets and the Internet.
Java’s motto is “Write Once, Run Anywhere”. In order to accomplish this, Java has undergone many improvements and enhancements during these years of growth and popularity, primarily to add new capabilities required for the Internet applications of the language. Java 2, the latest version of the language includes new features that enrich and extend the Java platform and provides upward compatibility and improved performance. Its rich class libraries provide system developers with the elements they need to build portable and distributed applications.
This edition incorporates all the updates that have been added to Java 2 since its release in May 1995. While retaining the overall structure and the emphasis on examples, an attempt has been made to refine the content and examples. The most important additions to the second edition are:
A new chapter on Java files
An appendix that describes everything that is new in Java 2
An appendix listing all the classes and methods that have been declared as unimportant in the future versions of Java
Another appendix that provides the statistics of Java API packages
Model questions of the Sun Certified Java Programmer exam are given in a separate appendix
Although some methods have been declared deprecated (not important), they have been retained in the sample programs in order to maintain the backward compatibility with the older versions of Java. Such programs will correctly Compile and run but display warning messages about the use of deprecated methods. Replacements are suggested in the appendix that discusses deprecated methods.
