Preface
This was a surprisingly difficult book to write. It was difficult not
because of the topic's technical
complexity梐fter all, I've been working with
Java™ since before the release of JDK 1.0 and
developing on the Mac for over a decade. No, the hard part was
deciding what should actually go into a book called
Mac OS
X for
Java Geeks.
The unknown element of this book is the skill set possessed by the
reader. If you're an expert on Swing looking for
tips on how to build a Java application, you won't
want to slog through pages of duplicated content explaining how to
build such an application. The same goes for readers interested in
JSP™, EJB™, SQL, and everything
else related to the Java platform.
In the end, I relied on two main guides. First, I leaned on
conversations with other developers (particularly developers who were
unfamiliar with Mac OS X and interested in switching platforms).
Second, much time was spent with the broad array of excellent
existing Java development texts. If you've never
developed an application in Swing, this text won't
teach you everything you need to know, but it will teach you how to
transfer that application to Mac OS X, package it, and generally make
it behave in a first-class manner while maintaining cross-platform
compatibility. If you really have never built an application in
Swing, this book provides an annotated working example.
If you're just beginning to develop applications in
Java on the Mac OS X platform, you'll find an
excellent survey of Java development by installing and working your
way through the examples in this text, following the suggestions for
further reading when appropriate. Fortunately,
O'Reilly provides an excellent library from which to
choose.
This book, then, is meant to supplement the Java
programmer's library. If you're a
Java developer and want to see what Mac OS X can do, or are just
getting into Java and want to ensure that Mac OS X is a viable
development platform, I think you'll find your
answers in this work. Enjoy!
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