If you are reading this in a bookstore or the book section of a computer store, look around and you will see dozens of books on programming in Java. However, the simple truth is that while many of us want to use the power of Java, most of us do not want to write Java programs-or scripts as they are commonly called. If you fit into that category, this book is for you!
Java Applets and Channels Without Programming is designed for readers who want to acquire and learn to use a collection of Java applets to improve the appearance of their Web pages without learning to program in Java. Anyone from the novice writing his or her first home page to a certified Webmaster who manages thousands of pages can benefit from this book. Even Java programmers will gain from seeing how others have tackled problems in Java.
Since Java applets are built into hypertext markup language (HTML) documents, you need to know some HTML in order to use this book; however, because Java applets are surprisingly easy to include, it is not necessary to be an expert in HTML.
Java Applets and Channels Without Programming and the accompanying CD give you some incredible tools for building your own Web pages. However, a tool kit is not enough! Throughout this book, we emphasize the design issues associated with using each of the applets, an approach that will help you understand where a particular Java applet is appropriate and where it is not.
We feel that this design-based approach is unique for computer books. Most Java books are written by programmers who rarely have a feel for design issues. However, our team included a design specialist to make sure that design issues are are properly adderssed.
In addition, Java Applets and Channels Without Programming includes a program you can use to control many Java applets. We call this program the Configurator. As you will see later in this book, this program gives you incredible power over Java applets along with unparalleled ease-of-use.
Staying Current
To get the latest information about Java Applets Without Programming, visit http://www.manning.com/Shoffner. We will post any problems we find with this book, bug fixes, and new versions of the items discussed in this book at this site. You will be able to download them and keep yourself up-to-date.
For information on other books from Manning Publications, see http://www.manning.com. For information on other books by Ronny Richardson, see http://www.quincy.edu/~richaro/books/books.html.
While we certainly hope it does not happen, it is possible that you will get lost at some point while reading Java Applets and Channels Without Programming or you will fail to understand something. We have done everything we know of to keep this from happening, but if you do get lost, please make a note and drop us a line. Tell us what you did not understand and why or where we started to lose you.
We have a selfish reason for asking you to do this. We want to keep this book in print as long as there is a market for it. If you help us spot the confusing portions, we can work on them and make the next edition even better. Furthermore, knowing where we failed to clearly explain something will help us as we write other books. The address is:
You can also send us a fax at (203) 661-9018. If you are active in the online community, you can reach us on the Internet, where the address is richaro@quincy.edu.