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 - Fixing your programming styleGreatest Java book ever written. In fact, it's beyond a 'java book', once many tips from here are 'universal tips'. It's a great book for those who already have at least 4 or 5 programming years (code enough different projects), 'cause you'll notice several (apparently) minor mistakes that everyone make everyday. Rating: - Essential JavaDid you realize that enums can implement interfaces? That the simplest safe way to implement a singleton is using an enum? That it's possible to obtain an object reference to a private member using serialization? There are lots of ways to learn the language basics and figure out how to use the libraries. But nowhere do you have such a dense collection of non-obvious, yet important issues that any Java developer ought to be aware of. The book is written from the perspective of someone who creates public APIs, so there is a lot of obsessing over how to prevent users from doing things they shouldn't (intentionally, or not). But even if that's not a big concern for you, it's nevertheless important to be aware of the issues. Having read the first edition a while back, reading the second edition was more that a good refresher -- it's almost a different book. This is in part thanks to Java 5, which has made a lot of the original items (e.g. how create enumerations) obsolete, while introducing the need for a whole new set of items (e.g. regarding the use of generics). Rating: - All Java programmers should read this bookThis book is a must-read for all Java programmers. In fact, I think every programmer should read this book before they start programming Java. The book is full of good advice, best practices and guidelines. Highly recommended Rating: - Excellent bookAbsolute classic, definitely my favorite Java book. Every professional Java developer should have it on her/his desk. It's not the easiest book and shouldn't be read if You are novice in Java, there better books to get started with Java, but for experienced developers, this book is invaluable. Rating: - The best general Java book I've read so farThis book seems to be one of the most critically acclaimed Java titles. What could I possibly add to what has been said? The acclaim is fully deserved. I had the feeling that I already learned something new and important as soon as I reached page twenty. This is something that I cannot say of very many books. Effective Java manages to be extremely useful and simultaneously extremely easy to read. However, "easy" doesn't mean simple in this case, since many of the discussed problems are subtly complex. Some are so complex, in fact, that Java beginners might not fully understand or appreciate them. So, it's probably not a book for beginners. On the other hand, the book is neither esoteric. The 78 items are general Java programming issues which one is likely to encounter in everyday work at some point, regardless of any specific domain. The book is written in a clear and concise language and each problem is exceptionally well reasoned. The author has a very deep understanding of the Java language, which is rather apparent and no surprise, since Joshua Bloch is one of the architects of the Java platform. Incidentally, this also means that the problems are discussed from the perspective of an API designer rather than from the perspective of an application programmer. This is useful, because it is primarily concerned with creating robust and high quality interfaces. Architects, designers, and application programmers benefit likewise from this. The items discussed in this book can probably be described as design and implementation level rationales. They are grouped by Java categories, such as generics, enums, annotations, exceptions, serialisation, as well as by more general concepts, such as object creation, classes and interfaces, methods and concurrency. Many of the individual topics are related; therefore the author makes ample use of cross references, which is helpful for reference use. The included code examples are a joy to read; they are clear, concise, and always illustrative. While discussing the intricacies of the above named topics, Joshua Bloch casually introduces the reader to a good number of commonly used design patterns, many of which are illustrated with code examples. However, design patterns are not themselves formally discussed. The book equips Java programmers with an arsenal of relevant best practices, from comparatively simple things such as creating objects, implementing "equals()" and "hashCode()" methods to more advanced topics, such as concurrency, mutability, and thread safety. In doing so, Joshua Bloch points out quite a few quirks and peculiarities of the Java language, and he does not only point them out, but explains their practical consequences in detail. Thus, the book has great didactic value, as the reader will end up with a higher level of familiarity with the language. Reading this book is time well invested for any Java programmer.
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