Some Java Basics

Summary

In this chapter, you’ve learned some of the advantages of Java as an OO programming language—namely, that

• Java is an elegant OO programming language that improves upon many languages that preceded it.

• Java was designed from the ground up to be fully object-oriented.

• Java is architecture neutral.

• All of the facilities necessary for building industrial-strength applications are integrated into the core Java language.

• Java is an open-source language.

• Java can be downloaded for free from the Sun Microsystems http://java.sun.com web site.

In addition to exploring some of the advantages of Java, you’ve also learned some basic elements of Java syntax. In particular, we covered

• The anatomy of a simple Java program

• The mechanics of how to compile and execute a Java program from the command line

• The eight primitive Java types and the String type

• How variables of these types are declared and initialized

• How an expression of one type can be cast into a different type, and when it’s necessary to do so

• Arithmetic, assignment, logical, and relational expressions and operators

• Loops and other flow-control structures available with Java

• How to define blocks of code, and the concept of variable scope

• How to print text messages with the System.out.println and System.out.print methods

• Some basic elements of good Java programming style

There’s a lot more to learn about Java—things you’ll need to know in building the application in Part 3 of the book—but I need to explain a number of basic object concepts first. So, on to Chapter 3!