Mr. Schildt is a great writer and a first class thinker. This book is up to his usual standard. But I have some quibbles:

1. He uses AWT in a few spots. Does anyone use AWT anymore? Swing would have been more beneficial.

2. The code is not refactored. I would image Mr. Schildt had to do this because of the limits on book size but the impact of the book would have been much higher if had applied ExtractMethod a few times.

All in all, another excellent book from Mr. Schildt.

I have to admit! The first time I saw this book on amazon.com, I imagined a java book with same old stuff. The used price of the book was relatively high as well. My passion for java made me go for this book, and boy I am so glad that I did. The fact is there is a difference between knowing java and being able to use java to write some cool applications. The latter is the mission of this book. Whether you are interested in Java-AI or just want to write your own Internet Explorer, this book shows you how. So, what are you waiting for! Buy it, enjoy it, and when you are don e with every bit of it, pass it on to others.

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