There is a huge difference between writing code that compiles and runs and writing code that is robust, extensible, maintainable, readable, and just plain elegant. And it's that difference that distinguishes a master Java developer from just a good developer. Becoming a master programmer takes hard work, patience and, usually, an expert who will take the time to teach you how to understand and use the most difficult concepts in the language. But what if your goal is Java wizardry, and you don't have an available expert willing to take you under wing? Don't despair. You can rely on Hardcore Java to transform your Java skills from competent to sublime. Hardcore Java distills years of experience into a concise, but generous, compendium of java guru expertise. It reveals the difficult and rarely understood secrets of Java that true master programmers need to know. Written for the working Java developer, Hardcore Java focuses on the set of APIs you must use to create standalone applications. This indispensable resource explores in detail the advanced, powerful aspects of application design and programming that will make every line of your code count. Hardcore Java is an advanced book that focuses on the little-touched but critical parts of the Java programming language that expert programmers use. We're not talking about trivial things; we're talking about difficult but extremely powerful and useful programming techniques like reflection, advanced data modeling, advanced GUI design, and advanced aspects of JDO, EJB and XML-based web clients. This unique book reveals the true wizardry behind the complex and often-mysterious Java environment.

"Hardcore Java will help even the most advanced developers move beyond their own limited understanding about Java into truly advanced applications of the language. That transformation of a developer from an intermediate-level programmer to a true guru is the goal of this book which distills years of experience into a cincise but generous compendium of java guru expertise. It reveals the difficult and rarely understood secrets of the language that true master programmers need to know." Industrial Networking and Open Control, June

Robert Simmons, Jr. started programming when floppy disks were really floppy and 64 KB of RAM was considered state-of-the-art. From his early days of programming BASIC and Logo on an Apple IIe, he advanced through Pascal and C to arrive in the object-oriented realm of C++. When Java was first introduced, he knew that the infant language would become a serious player among corporations; Robert learned Java and began using it as his primary language for programming in 1997. He lives and works as a Senior Software Architect in Germany.