Java is a machine-independent interpreter for Web browsers. A recent version of Microsoft Visual J++ compiles over 10,000 lines of Java code in one second. Java is going to be the Internet programming standard. It opens new vistas for Web developers to incorporate 3D graphics, animation, and virtual worlds with multimedia in their Web pages. It is possible to download bits of voice or video using Java applets.

This introductory book is a boon for Macintosh users. It can also serve as a text for familiarizing computer science graduate students with programming techniques for Web sites. A quick look through the book or CD-ROM will enable a specialist in any computer language to grasp the similarities between Java and other object-oriented and non-object-oriented languages.

The book contains 15 chapters and seven appendices covering three major topics: an introduction to the Web and programming languages (chapters 1 to 5); variables, control, and loop structures (chapters 6 to 8); and objects, classes, interfaces, and so on (chapters 9 to 15).

A CD-ROM available with the book runs on a Macintosh 680X0 or a PowerPC processor with 8MB RAM. The sample code and exercises can be installed on one’s computer for hands-on experience. Source code listings for Java applets are given in Appendix B. Exercises for chapters 5 through 13, with solutions, are given in appendices E and F. Appendix A contains a valuable glossary of terms used in the book.

Chapter 2 describes the installation of Code Warrior Lite on a Mac from the CD-ROM. The compile-run-translate cycle is illustrated with an example to display “Hello World.”

A bird’s eye view of browsers, Web pages, and Java’s suitability for the Web is given in chapter 3. Objects and classes are introduced with two examples: a payroll program and drawing objects such as squares and circles. The authors use the same task to illustrate even the most advanced features. In chapter 5, the edit-compile-run cycle for Java applets is illustrated.

Java has the features of procedural languages with 64-bit floating-point operations. Variables and operators in arithmetic and Boolean expressions are covered in chapter 6. Type statements are also discussed here.

Method-source code for tasks such as regression and the calculation of eigenvalues, and its implementation with and without parameters, are the subjects of chapter 7. This material is well illustrated by finding the average of three numbers. Transfer control statements (if and if else) for Boolean expressions, repetition (do while, for, and while), and multiple branching (switch or case) structures are introduced in chapter 8.

In chapter 9, an example of employees working on an hourly basis is used to demonstrate invoking objects, instances, and class variables. It is a good way to introduce a difficult concept. Chapter 10 deals with the property of inheritance; hierarchical classification of classes; and private, protected, and abstract variable methods. A new, compact overriding makes Java a new-generation language. Packages and public classes are introduced. The features of user interfaces using buttons, tables, checkboxes, and so on for input, and graphics and text for layout, are described in chapter 11.

Chapter 12 gives a commendable account of data types, including objects, format information, arrays versus vectors, and hash tables. These features are essential for database management, number crunching programs, and numerical expert systems. Chapter 13 deals with a unique feature of Java--namely method overloading--and with constructors and throwing exceptions. The latter corresponds to the error handling techniques introduced in chapter 12.

Chapter 14 describes running Java programs in standalone mode, that is, on a computer not connected to the Web. Java virtual machines, Java interpreters, and how they are useful for compiling, running, and translating Java programs are lucidly explained. In chapter 15, advanced features such as interfaces, packages, and threads are introduced.

The book’s coverage is broad, from the introduction to Web programming, to the development of packages and home pages on the Web. The presentation is clear, and I enjoyed reading it. I recommend this book as a textbook for training in Java, particularly on the Macintosh.