Core Java for the Impatient

Clear, Concise Guide to the Core Language and Libraries–Updated through Java 17

Modern Java introduces major enhancements that impact the core Java technologies and APIs at the heart of the Java platform. Many old Java idioms are no longer needed, and new features and programming paradigms can make you far more effective. However, navigating these changes can be challenging.

Core Java for the Impatient, Third Edition, is a complete yet concise guide that reflects all changes through Java SE 17, Oracle’s latest Long-Term Support (LTS) release. Written by Cay S. Horstmann–author of the classic two-volume Core Java–this indispensable tutorial offers a faster, easier pathway for learning modern Java.

Horstmann covers everything working developers need to know, including the powerful concepts of lambda expressions and streams, modern constructs such as records and sealed classes, and sophisticated concurrent programming techniques. Given the size and scope of Java 17, there’s plenty to cover, but it’s presented in small chunks organized for quick access and easy understanding, with plenty of practical insights and sample code to help you quickly apply all that’s new.

• Test code as you create it with JShell
• Improve your object-oriented design with records and sealed classes
• Effectively use text blocks, switch expressions, and pattern matching
• Understand functional programming with lambda expressions
• Streamline and optimize data management with the Streams API
• Use modern library features and threadsafe data structures to implement concurrency reliably
• Work with the modularized Java API and third-party modules
• Take advantage of API improvements for working with collections, input/output, regular expressions, and processes
• Learn the APIs for date/time processing and internationalization

Whether you’re an experienced developer just getting started with modern Java, or have been programming with Java for years, this guide will help you write more robust, efficient, and secure Java code.

Table of Contents

1. Fundamental Programming Structures
2. Object-Oriented Programming
3. Interfaces and Lambda Expressions
4. Inheritance and Reflection
5. Exceptions, Assertions, and Logging
6. Generic Programming
7. Collections
8. Streams
9. Processing Input and Output
10. Concurrent Programming
11. Annotations API
12. The Date and Time API
13. Internationalization
14. Compiling and Scripting
15. The Java Platform Module System

About the Author

Cay S. Horstmann is principal author of Core Java, Volumes I and II, Twelfth Edition (Pearson, 2022), and author of Modern JavaScript for the Impatient (Addison-Wesley, 2020) and Scala for the Impatient, Second Edition (Addison-Wesley, 2016). He has written more than a dozen other books for professional programmers and computer science students. He is professor emeritus of computer science at San Jose State University and a Java Champion.