Has Java changed much since 2001?

Question

I know that C++ simplified quite a bit since it was made, and im looking into teaching myself JAVA and have a book published in 2001, would i be handicapping myself if i learned a much older version?

by this i mean in C++, i noticed older books didn't run "using namespace std", it would instead use std:: everytime someone wanted to call a function from the library.

Thanks in advance!

`using namespace std;` is a Bad Thing(tm) - for several reasons. Avoid books telling you the opposite. — Erik, Mar 31 '11 at 20:22
go through the changelogs of java 1.4, 1.5 and 1.6. It _has_ changed. — Bozho, Mar 31 '11 at 20:22
@Erik, man programming is a pain in the neck. what is the downside to using it? — TimothyTech, Mar 31 '11 at 20:23
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1452721/why-is-using-namespace-std-considered-a-bad-practice-in-c — Erik, Mar 31 '11 at 20:26
`std::cout` is still a lot less painful than typing `System.out.println` — Dave Rager, Mar 31 '11 at 20:56

score 6 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 31 '11 at 20:24

The fundamentals of Java haven't changed.

Things have been introduced that you need to be aware of:

Generics
Autoboxing
java.util.Concurrent package
string.split() vs StringTokenizer

there's others, and these have a very signifnicant impact on every-day Java development.

For the basics, though, an older book should be just fine. Just be aware of changes, like with any set of libraries, and adapt as necessary. Take what you read with a grain of salt, and when you find a better method (generics vs Objects everywhere, for instance) don't be afraid to replace methodoliges.

On a personal note, despite the fact that you should be just fine, I would encourage getting updated material. I can't recommend one offhand for leaning Java. I can highly recommend Effective Java, but that's for learning to do it 'right' once you know the basics. — corsiKa, Mar 31 '11 at 21:09

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 31 '11 at 20:23

2

Generics alone are reason enough to learn a later version. Many of the old idioms that generics replaced (e.g. cross-your-fingers-and-cast-to-Object) are now avoided.

answered Mar 31 '11 at 20:23

Thom Smith

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it was never a problem to cast anything to `Object` :) – Mar 31 '11 at 21:29

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 31 '11 at 20:25

As Bozho mentions above in a comment, it has changed quite a bit. There are enumerations, static imports, autoboxing, generics, annotations, varargs, and a whole host of new API's. It won't hurt you to read the old book, but I'd definitely pick up a new one or do some reading online after reading it.

score 0 · Answer 4 · answered Mar 31 '11 at 20:23

Short answer: Yes

Long answer: 10 Years is a hell lot of time, esp. in computer business. There where a lot of changes in the api/runtime library as well as in the language itself. Just go to sun ^h oracle and check the changelogs to see how much changed (it was really much).

Has Java changed much since 2001?

4 Answers4