Cadenhead - Sams teach yourself Java (covers Java 7 and Android) in 21 days

(Covers Java 7 and Android)

Rogers Cadenhead

800 East 96th Street,
Indianapolis, Indiana 46240

Sams Teach Yourself Java in 21 Days (Covering Java 7 and Android)

Copyright 2013 by Pearson Education, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Nor is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

ISBN-13: 978-0-672-33574-7
ISBN-10: 0-672-33574-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Cadenhead, Rogers.
Sams teach yourself Java in 21 days : covering Java 7 and Android /
Rogers Cadenhead.6th ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-672-33574-7 (pbk.)
1. Java (Computer program language) 2. Android (Electronic resource)
I. Title.
QA76.73.J38C315 2013
005.133--dc23
2012022262

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing August 2012

Editor-in-Chief
Mark Taub

Acquisitions Editor
Mark Taber

Development Editor
Songlin Qiu

Managing Editor
Kristy Hart

Project Editor
Anne Goebel

Copy Editor
Gayle Johnson

Indexer
Tim Wright

Proofreader
Chrissy White, Language Logistics, LLC

Technical Editor
Boris Minkin

Editorial Assistant
Vanessa Evans

Cover Designer
Anne Jones

Compositor
Nonie Ratcliff

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Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible, but no warranty or fitness is implied. The information provided is on an as is basis. The author and the publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damages arising from the information contained in this book or from the use of the programs accompanying it.

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Rogers Cadenhead is a programmer and author. He has written more than 20 books on programming and web publishing, including Sams Teach Yourself Java in 24 Hours. He also publishes the Drudge Retort and other websites that receive more than 20 million visits a year. He maintains this books official website at www.java21days.com and a personal weblog at http://workbench.cadenhead.org.

To my mom, Gail Cadenhead. Im disappointed you abandoned the beehive hairdo you had in the 60s, but thats the last time you ever disappointed me in the 45 years of my life. Thank you for the room and board, for the love and support, and for introducing me to Ryans Hope and One Life to Live when I was 8.

A book of this scope (and heft!) requires the hard work and dedication of numerous people. Most of them are at Sams Publishing in Indianapolis, and to them I owe considerable thanksin particular, to Boris Minkin, Gayle Johnson, Songlin Qiu, Anne Goebel, and Mark Taber. Most of all, thanks to my wife, Mary, and my sons, Max, Eli, and Sam.

Id also like to thank readers who have sent helpful comments about corrections, typos, and suggested improvements regarding this book and its prior editions. The list includes the following people: Dave Barton, Patrick Benson, Ian Burton, Lawrence Chang, Jim DeVries, Ryan Esposto, Kim Farr, Sam Fitzpatrick, Bruce Franz, Owen Gailar, Rich Getz, Bob Griesemer, Jenny Guriel, Brenda Henry-Sewell, Ben Hensley, Jon Hereng, Drew Huber, John R. Jackson, Bleu Jaegel, Natalie Kehr, Mark Lehner, Stephen Loscialpo, Brad Kaenel, Chris McGuire, Paul Niedenzu, E.J. OBrien, Chip Pursell, Pranay Rajgarhia, Peter Riedlberger, Darrell Roberts, Luke Shulenburger, Mike Tomsic, John Walker, Joseph Walsh, Mark Weiss, P.C. Whidden, Chen Yan, Kyu Hwang Yeon, and J-F. Zurcher.

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Some revolutions catch the world by surprise. Twitter, the Linux operating system, and Cupcake Wars all rose to prominence unexpectedly.

The remarkable success of the Java programming language, on the other hand, caught nobody by surprise. Java has been a source of great expectations since its introduction 17 years ago. When Java was introduced in web browsers, a torrent of publicity welcomed the arrival of the new language.

Sun Microsystems cofounder Bill Joy proclaimed, This represents the end result of nearly 15 years of trying to come up with a better programming language and environment for building simpler and more reliable software.

Sun, which created Java in 1991 and first released it to the public four years later, was acquired by Oracle in 2010. Oracle, which has been committed to Java development since its earliest years, has continued to support the language and produce new versions.

In the ensuing years, Java lived up to a considerable amount of its hype. The language has become as strong a part of software development as the beverage of the same name. One kind of Java keeps programmers up nights. The other kind enables programmers to rest easier after they have developed their software.

Java was originally offered as a technology for enhancing websites with programs that run in browsers. Today, its more likely to be found on servers, driving dynamic web applications backed by relational databases on some of the webs largest sites. Its also found on Android cell phones running popular apps such as Angry Birds and Words with Friends.