Acknowledgements

First
of all, thanks to the Doyle Street Cohousing Community for putting up with me
for the two years that it took me to write this book (and for putting up with
me at all). Thanks very much to Kevin and Sonda Donovan for subletting their
great place in gorgeous Crested Butte, Colorado for the summer while I worked
on the book. Also thanks to the friendly residents of Crested Butte and the
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory who made me feel so welcome. The World Gym
in Emeryville and its enthusiastic staff helped keep me sane during the final
months of the book.

This
is my first experience using an agent, and I’m not looking back. Thanks
to Claudette Moore at Moore Literary Agency for her tremendous patience and
perseverance in getting me exactly what I wanted.

My
first two books were published with Jeff Pepper as editor at
Osborne/McGraw-Hill. Jeff appeared at the right place and the right time at
Prentice-Hall and has cleared the path and made all the right things happen to
make this the most pleasant publishing experience I’ve ever had. Thanks,
Jeff – it means a lot to me.

I’m
especially indebted to Gen Kiyooka and his company Digigami, who have
graciously provided my Web server, and to Scott Callaway who has maintained it.
This has been an invaluable aid while I was learning about the Web.

Thanks
to Cay Horstmann (co-author of
Core
Java
,
Prentice Hall 1997
),
D’Arcy Smith (Symantec), and Paul Tyma (co-author of
Java
Primer Plus
,
The Waite Group 1996), for helping me clarify concepts in the language.

Thanks
to people who have spoken in my Java track at the Software Development
Conference, and students in my seminars, who ask the questions I need to hear
in order to make the material more clear.

Special
thanks to Larry and Tina O’Brien, who turned this book and my seminar
into a teaching CD ROM. (You can find out more at
http://www.BruceEckel.com.)

Lots
of people sent in corrections and I am indebted to them all, but particular
thanks go to: Kevin Raulerson (found tons of great bugs), Bob Resendes (simply
incredible), John Pinto, Joe Dante, Joe Sharp (all three were fabulous), David
Combs (many grammar and clarification corrections), Dr. Robert Stephenson,
Franklin Chen, Zev Griner, David Karr, Leander A. Stroschein, Steve Clark,
Charles A. Lee, Austin Maher, Dennis P. Roth, Roque Oliveira, Douglas Dunn,
Dejan Ristic, Neil Galarneau, David B. Malkovsky, Steve Wilkinson, and a host
of others.

Prof.
Ir. Marc Meurrens put in a great deal of effort to publicize and make the book
available in Europe.

There
have been a spate of smart technical people in my life who have become friends
and have also been both influential and unusual in that they’re
vegetarians, do yoga and practice other forms of spiritual enhancement, which I
find quite inspirational and instructional. They are Kraig Brockschmidt, Gen
Kiyooka and Andrea Provaglio, who helps in the understanding of Java and
programming in general in Italy.

It’s
not that much of a surprise to me that understanding Delphi helped me
understand Java, since there are many concepts and language design decisions in
common. My Delphi friends provided assistance by helping me gain insight into
that marvelous programming environment. They are Marco Cantu (another Italian
– perhaps being steeped in Latin gives one aptitude for programming
languages?), Neil Rubenking (who used to do the yoga/vegetarian/Zen thing but
discovered computers) and of course Zack Urlocker, a long-time pal whom
I’ve traveled the world with.

My
friend Richard Hale Shaw’s insights and support have been very helpful
(and Kim’s, too). Richard and I spent many months giving seminars
together and trying to work out the perfect learning experience for the
attendees. Thanks also to KoAnn Vikoren, Eric Faurot, Deborah Sommers, Julie
Shaw, Nicole Freeman, Cindy Blair, Barbara Hanscome, Regina Ridley, Alex Dunne,
and the rest of the cast and crew at MFI.

The
book design, cover design, and cover photo were created by my friend Daniel
Will-Harris, noted author and designer (
http://www.Will-Harris.com),
who used to play with rub-on letters in junior high school while he awaited the
invention of computers and desktop publishing, and complained of me mumbling
over my algebra problems. However, I produced the camera-ready pages myself, so
the typesetting errors are mine. Microsoft
®
Word 97 for Windows was used to write the book and to create camera-ready
pages. The body typeface is
Bitstream
Carmina
and
the headlines are in
Bitstream
Calligraph 421
(www.bitstream.com).
The symbols at the start of each chapter are
Leonardo
Extras

from P22 (
http://www.p22.com).
The cover typeface is
ITC
Rennie Mackintosh.

Thanks
to the vendors who supplied me with compilers: Borland, Microsoft, Symantec,
Sybase/Powersoft/Watcom, and of course, Sun.

A
special thanks to all my teachers and all my students (who are my teachers as
well). The most fun writing teacher was Gabrielle Rico (author of
Writing
the Natural Way
,
Putnam 1983). I’ll always treasure the terrific week at Esalen.

The
supporting cast of friends includes, but is not limited to: Andrew Binstock,
Steve Sinofsky, JD Hildebrandt, Tom Keffer, Brian McElhinney, Brinkley Barr,
Bill Gates at
Midnight
Engineering Magazine
,
Larry Constantine and Lucy Lockwood, Greg Perry, Dan Putterman, Christi
Westphal, Gene Wang, Dave Mayer, David Intersimone, Andrea Rosenfield, Claire
Sawyers, more Italians (Laura Fallai, Corrado, Ilsa, and Cristina Giustozzi),
Chris and Laura Strand, the Almquists, Brad Jerbic, Marilyn Cvitanic, the
Mabrys, the Haflingers, the Pollocks, Peter Vinci, the Robbins Families, the
Moelter Families (and the McMillans), Michael Wilk, Dave Stoner, Laurie Adams,
the Cranstons, Larry Fogg, Mike and Karen Sequeira, Gary Entsminger and Allison
Brody, Kevin Donovan and Sonda Eastlack, Chester and Shannon Andersen, Joe
Lordi, Dave and Brenda Bartlett, David Lee, the Rentschlers, the Sudeks, Dick,
Patty, and Lee Eckel, Lynn and Todd, and their families. And of course, Mom and
Dad.

ABC

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