Reference Review: Java SE 7 Programming Essentials

It was 2015 when I first picked up Java, while trying to learn Android programming. Java SE 7 Programming Essentials, authored by Michael Ernest, came in very useful as a reference.

As a fledgling Java user who has not, to this date, landed a job in that capacity, I'm nevertheless indebted to this book and its author. Outdated it may be in some parts, but the basics are explained very well and it's aided my understanding a great deal.

The Premise

Java SE 7 Programming Essentials is a book with the professed goal of preparing the reader for the Java SE 7 Oracle Certification Exam. Never having taken such an exam, I couldn't say how effective it is in that regard. What I can say is that the book appears to go above and beyond the call of duty.

The Aesthetics

Visually, with a predominantly blue-and-white theme, the book is cleanly divided into sections within each chapter and locating these sections is simple and effective.

The words aren't cluttered together and it's pretty easy on the eyes.

The Experience

Reading this book was straightforward, and digesting each chapter even more so. Even at a beginner's level, I had very little trouble figuring out what the author was trying to say.

The Interface

After each chapter, there are Additional Exercises and Review Questions, to which the answers may be found in Appendix A.

Appendix B mostly covers the Oracle Certification Exam and its list of objectives.

The margins occasionally host side-notes which feature tips and additional information.

The margins are sometimes marked by an icon to denote that the section it is appended to, is of particular importance to certification.

What I liked

The style of writing. Ernest has a way of explaining a concept that not only appears comprehensible, but actually makes sense. Take this beauty:

An empty statement, signified by the semicolon, is sufficient under the compiler rule "it's okay if it's useless, as long as it's legal."

Regarding infinite loops,

As program users, we quickly grow accustomed to letting error messages tell us something is wrong. As looping troubleshooters, we must learn to distinguish between a good kind of quiet (a busy but productive system) and a bad kind of quiet (a system happily spinning its wheels). Infinite loops will survive in your programs for as long as it takes you to recognize the difference.

Or even at the Introduction,

Certification is, in my view, a low rung. If you want to find work in this field, it's my failure to let you believe a high score on the exam will do more than bolster your confidence.

The Review Questions after each chapter, especially the answers at the Appendix A. Michael Ernest takes pains to not only provide the answers, but also to explain why the answers are correct, in the process reiterating the concepts covered in the relevant chapter.

What I didn't

The book did not provide any relevant working samples that I could use in a project. To be fair, that was not its purported purpose. Would've been a nice-to-have, though.

Conclusion

Java SE 7 Programming Essentials does a whole lot more than prepare its reader for the exam. It's not an easy read by any means, but it's a lot easier than many other Java books would be.

My Rating

7 / 10

Ernest-ly yours,
T___T