Notes about Java and Java How to Program, Sixth Edition
Java is a powerful programming language. Experienced programmers sometimes take pride in creating weird, contorted, convoluted usage of a language. This is a poor programming practice. It makes programs more difficult to read, more likely to behave strangely, more difficult to test and debug, and more difficult to adapt to changing requirements. This book stresses clarity. The following is our first "good programming practice" tip.
Good Programming Practice 1.1
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Write your Java programs in a simple and straightforward manner. This is sometimes referred to as KIS ("keep it simple"). Do not "stretch" the language by trying bizarre usages. |
You have heard that Java is a portable language and that programs written in Java can run on many different computers. For programming in general, portability is an elusive goal. The ANSI C standard document (located at www.ansi.org), which describes the C programming language, contains a lengthy list of portability issues. In fact, whole books have been written to discuss portability, such as Rex Jaeschke's Portability and the C Language.
Portability Tip 1.2
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Although it is easier to write portable programs in Java than in other programming languages, differences between compilers, JVMs and computers can make portability difficult to achieve. Simply writing programs in Java does not guarantee portability. |
Error-Prevention Tip 1.1
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Always test your Java programs on all systems on which you intend to run them, to ensure that they will work correctly for their intended audiences. |
We have audited our presentation against Sun's current Java documentation for completeness and accuracy. However, Java is a rich language, and no textbook can cover every topic. A Web-based version of the Java API documentation can be found at java.sun.com/j2se/5.0/docs/api/index.html or you can download this documentation to your own computer from java.sun.com/j2se/5.0/download.html. For additional technical details on Java, visit java.sun.com/reference/docs/index.html. This site provides detailed information about many aspects of Java development, including all three Java platforms.
Good Programming Practice 1.2
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Read the documentation for the version of Java you are using. Refer to it frequently to be sure you are aware of the rich collection of Java features and are using them correctly. |
Good Programming Practice 1.3
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Your computer and compiler are good teachers. If, after carefully reading your Java documentation manual, you are not sure how a feature of Java works, experiment and see what happens. Study each error or warning message you get when you compile your programs (called compile-time errors or compilation errors), and correct the programs to eliminate these messages. |
Software Engineering Observation 1.4
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The J2SE Development Kit comes with the Java source code. Some programmers like to read the source code for the Java API classes to determine how the classes work and to learn additional programming techniques. |