3 Review(s)

Based on Bloch and Gafter’s standing room only Java Puzzlers talk at JavaOne, the heart of the book comprises about 100 Java programming language puzzlers: brainteasers that challenge the intellect while alerting programmers to the traps, pitfalls, and corner cases that lurk in the nether regions of the Java platform. All of the puzzles from the authors’ popular JavaOne presentations are included, as are many puzzles never before seen in public. There are two major types of puzzles in the book. Most of the puzzles take the form of short programs that appear to do something but actually do something else. Readers will be encouraged to predict the behavior of the program before running it. After running the program, readers will be encouraged to figure out why it behaved as it did before consulting the solution. In a second type of puzzle, the reader will be asked to write a short program that performs some specific task. Most of the solutions will contain a “moral,” a rule the reader can follow to avoid the problematic behavior demonstrated in the puzzle. The puzzles are grouped into chapters based on the primary platform features they exercise and to maximize readability, fun, and pedagogical effectiveness.   Features • Gives an honest assessment of the Java programming language • Highly enjoyable read that gives any programmer the power to be smarter than the programmer next to them • Puzzles are challenging and fun, but VERY practical and effective for teaching how to avoid problematic program behavior