Rating: 
Summary: Much better and faster then browsing the online material
Review: 1) See the title .. All info you ever need about API structure, classes, details .. in your hand and not in 100 IE bookmarks.2) I have to deal with class files on the bytecodes level and didn't expect this book to be much useful for me - suprise !!! It has an excellent table "Class File Format" ( I had to built one such for myself long time ago ) and some others regarding bytecodes issues - very nice and comfortable. It's only ~5 hours I own this book but already pulled it 5 times from the shelf. So, it's not a question of "buy or not" - buy ! 3) We all enjoyed reading this in preface : "There was a time, not long ago, when I intimately knew all of the Java class libraries .. ( of course, it helped me that I was on of the original developers :-) But aside from the occasional inability to remember which argument of Vector.insertElementAt() is the index, I rarely had to refer to any reference documentation .." Thank you, Patrick !
Rating:
Summary: Good Quick Reference
Review: The bulk of the book is just a list of method names, return types, parameters and other tidbits of information on them. It is handy when looking for method names at a glance. It is also good because it is really the first 1.2 API material in published form.</p> If you are looking for descriptions of items in this volume, you are in the wrong place. Patrick Chan is the co-author of the two volume "Java Class Libraries", which gives descriptions in vast detail.</p> I recommend Java Developer's Alamanc to the programmer on the go. It is easy to carry around and helpful.</p>
Rating: 
Summary: Comprehensive but somewhat redundant
Review: An impressive, 1000 page plus tome. It has four parts, but the first two are the bulk of the book. Part 1 lists each java package. Within a package, it tells of each class and interface and provides examples of how to do often needed tasks. You already need to know java to fully take advantage of this. Part 2 is an alphabetical listing of all classes, from all packages. For each class you can see its ancestors and all members of the class, with calling arguments and return values. Part 3 has miscellaneous topics; most usefully the difference between java 1.3 and 1.4 (the latest), as in the title. Part 4 is basically an index, being a cross reference of classes and interfaces. The sweep of the book is comprehensive and up to date. But of limited use. Part 2, which is half the book, differs in no material way from this URL- .... Sun makes this available on the web as an aid to java programmers. Other websites also publish it. In addition, you can copy the manual and have it available locally on your computer. My mode of programming involves bookmarking the URL and having a browser window dedicated to it during coding. Not just me. In various companies and universities, I've seen others do this. Are you old enough to remember log tables? These were books of logarithms, powers and trigonometric functions. Prior to the advent of pocket calculators, students would have their own copies. They were comprehensive and correct. Now totally redundant. That is what Part 2 reminds me of. Granted, if your computer has no web access, then you need the equivalent of Part 2. But how many programmers today cannot browse? The book needs to go on a diet. The three other parts do have some utility. At least you should be sure of that before purchasing.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book, poor format
Review: As a user of the 1998 AND (not so much) the 1999 edition I have to say that the content is just as great as its predecessors. It is an indispensible desk reference for any serious Java programmer. My only gripe with the 2000 edition is the same gripe I and many other users have and it's the size of the book. The compactness of the 1998 edition was and is what makes it so practical. I don't know why the fonts of this new edition had to be made bigger yet when the 1998 font size and book size OBVIOUSLY had a lot of fans. Anyways, maybe two sizes would help then. Anyways, I did not buy this book because of those issues although I am still itching to get it anyways. (To Addison-Wesley: Please, please publish a compact version.) Another great thing, Patrick Chan actually sent me an email about my review of the 1999 Almanac that contained the same criticism and I thought it was a nice touch. Great book otherwise.
Rating:
Summary: A definate *MUST* to any serious Java developer
Review: Back in 1995, when I first started programming with Java.. everyone kept on saying 'Nutshell, Nutshell, Nutshell'.. I refused to listen. Well.. Mike Afergan provided a much better book (as a desktop reference) called 'Java Quick Reference' (ISBN 078970868X). Good work Mike! :) It left my mates for dead when I showed them a 'better' solution - as a desktop reference. The 'Java Almanac' is a great companion to the 'Java Class Libraries, Second Edition' series (ISBN 0201310023 and ISBN 0201310031). I feel it is a must for anyone who is serious in developing with Java as it outlines clearly the differences between 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2 - compatibility between these is a huge mess! IT IS ONLY A REFERENCE BOOK! If you wish to learn Java.. this is not the book for you.. it is for experienced Java people only. However, if you are get the three books listed, you have enough to get started and develop some serious applications. /az
Rating:
Summary: An essential reference
Review: For some time, the Java Developers Almanac version 1.3 has been my constant companion when I taught my courses in Java. With it at my side, I was always able to answer questions of the form, "What class(method) do you use for . . . ?" It is one of that small of number of indispensable references that occupy my special shelf of books that stay within reach of my main workstation.
However, now it has been superceded by this version, the second volume of which covers 45 packages used in GUI development. It is a quick, yet thorough reference to the classes. Each description of a class in part 2 has the name and package it is found in, the inheritance tree describing how it is derived and the prototypes of all data and methods. Part 1 has small segments of code that illustrate the basics of how a class is used. The code examples are organized according to packages, where the packages are listed alphabetically. This makes it very easy to find the basic information about any class and method of the class. There is also a list of newly deprecated members, a complete list of all possible exceptions, a list of the modifications from 1.3 and the default values of the swing UI elements.
This book is rarely more than two feet from my body when I am writing Java and when it gets too far away, I correct the problem very quickly. I included it in my best books of the year list for the online Journal of Object Technology.
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Summary: Complete resource for class names and interfaces
Review: Given the large size of the current class libraries in Java, the quality of your references is now more critical than ever. In my work as a technical editor of Java books, I have found this book invaluable. The content consists almost entirely of the class names, what they are derived from and the interfaces. The remainder is a collection of "examplets", small snippets of code that show how some of the methods are used. Alphabetized based on the class names, it is adequate when your only interest is in the name of a class or the characteristics of a method. Of course, it is only my first avenue, for more detailed information it is necessary to consult another resource. However, in many of those instances, consulting this book first saved time in examining the other documentation. Covering versions, 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2 of the JDK, this is one shelf reference that you should not be without. I listed it as one of the best books of the year in my On Books column that appeared in the September,1999 issue of Journal of Object-Oriented Programming.
Rating: 
Summary: Complete waste of money!!!
Review: I bought this book based on the review I read in InfoWorld. I will have to say that this book provides little more than your IDE's online help. About the only thing this book is good for is kindling for my wood burning stove.
Rating:
Summary: Essential Java Reference
Review: I picked this book up a couple months ago and can't imagine how I got along without it before. The first section includes simple examples of common uses of the java packages. I find this extremely useful. There are realms in Java where the intricacies often slip my mind, particularly in java.io, and the small examples of these packages shown in section 1 serve as a perfect reminder of how exactly to accomplish my task. Section 2 is the meat of the book and includes a reference to the classes and their members. This is similar to the online API, but lacking the descriptions for the methods / classes. This is strictly a quick reference of the methods, their arguments, return types and modifiers, and the variables belonging to a class. For a description of every method, use the online API. Personally though, I find this reference quicker to use than the online API when searching for a particular class. It probably comes down to personal preference, though. Sections 3 and 4 I honestly haven't found a need for. The first two sections alone are worth the (relatively) [inexpensive] price of the book. For reference, my qualifications include Sun Java Programmer Certification 1.4 (Passed with an 86%), Graduated Magna Cum Laude from UMass Dartmouth with a Computer Science degree.
Rating:
Summary: Needs a better format and a more complete API
Review: I pretty much agree with what everyone else is saying here. If they would just put more of the complete API into it, even odd ones like JavaMail and JAF (Activiation Framework) that would make it awesome! I'd pay more for that! Then, they need to change paper to that super thin india paper stuff. That's the best. It's thin and light so it packs a ton of stuff in a very small package. I know that I can view it online, or I could get a CD. But there's something about having it in a book and open on the desk that makes it easier to work with than flipping screens!
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