So, Groovy in Action has been out for a little while, and I’m missing it – or rather, book writing. I’d like my next project to be a solo effort, almost certainly on Java. However, I’m interested in hearing what you good folks think would make a good Java book. I’ve got some ideas myself, but I’d rather hear unprejudiced opinions first. (I may be soliciting more feedback at a later date, of course.) So, shoot – what would you like me to write about?
-
Follow
Following
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Jon Skeet's coding blog 
I don’t know if there’s much demand for this, but I could use a Java book aimed at .NET developers. Covering:
– important technical differences between Java and .NET
– how to interoperate with the Java world from .NET
– good reasons for using J# beyond code porting
– how a .NET coder can get started coding in Java
LikeLike
Above all, clarity! I’ve read a fair number of them and still by far the most useful has been “Java Precisely” by Peter Sestoft. I guess it depends what kind of level you’re targeting, but a readable (rather than pure reference) book covering the newer and more advanced things that lots of us haven’t yet used in anger (some of the Java 6 features and J2EE libraries/APIs spring to mind) would be tremendously useful, especially if presented with precision and clear organisation.
If you could make it concise too (unlike this comment!) that would be brilliant. Just my wishlist – look forward to hearing more about what sounds like an exciting project.
LikeLike
Hi Jon,
I could have done with a kind of Accelerated Java book when I migrated over from .NET. A book that understands that yes we know about the basics and don’t really need the redefinition of what is an object. I went for Thinking in Java and although I do think it’s a good book, it’s tiring because he went into so much detail – I guess it was aimed more at the beginner.
I did however love Accelerated C#, it’s just under 400 pages, which is just about right for a book and it’s for the more advanced programmer.
With Java you’ve got a lot of open source libraries and that is a big part to programming with Java. I’m not sure of the scope for your book but having bits on these might be quite useful. I really didn’t get on very well with the JavaDocs that these libraries provide and it made me miss the MSDN greatly :).
A section about Common Pitfalls for developers migrating across would also be a good thing.
Good Luck,
Emma
LikeLike