Java Coffee Break Newsletter Volume 2, Issue 9 http://www.javacoffeebreak.com/ ISSN 1442-3790 ================================================================= In this issue * We've moved - to www.javacoffeebreak.com * Java in the news * Book Reviews - Java Programming for Beginners * Q&A : How do I get the length of a string? * Q&A : What are the Java Certification exams? ================================================================= We've moved location Over the past two years of publication, the Java Coffee Break has gone from strength to strength. What started out as a small hobby site has become a fully fledged e-zine publication. I'd like to thank all my readers, both of the online site and this newsletter, for their interest and support over the years. With the large increase in visitors to the site, and subscribers to this newsletter, the time has come for the Java Coffee Break to move to its own domain name. You can now find all of our published articles, tutorials, reviews & FAQ's at the a new location, http://www.javacoffeebreak.com/ ================================================================= In the News Here are a selection of recent news items that may be of interest to Java developers. /*/ Sun announces beta of Java 2 SDK v1.3 Sun has announced a beta edition of JDK1.3, complete with many new features, including * networking & distributed systems (RMI/IIOP, JNDI) * graphical changes (Swing, AWT, Java 2d) * extensions to java.math, java.util & java.lang * a special edition of HotSpot tuned for client apps For more information, see the complete list available at http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.3/docs/relnotes/features.html /*/ Microsoft legal victory against temporary injunction Microsoft has won a substantial legal victory, by turning a temporary injunction barring it from distributing products that contain Java technology. More details of the ongoing legal saga are available at http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/21402.html /*/ Sun releases the magic details Details of Microprocessor Architecture for Java Computing (MAJC) have finally been released by Sun. Not only is MAJC designed to speed up multimedia for Java applications, but also for C++ applications as well. Further details on the new MAJC chip can be found at : http://www.sun.com/microelectronics/MAJC/ ================================================================= Q&A: How do I get the length of a string? Working with strings under Java is far easier than with other languages. Most languages represent a string as a data type, or as an array of characters. Java however treats strings as an actual object, and provides methods that make string manipulation far easier. Strings under Java are represented by the java.lang.String class. Since the java.lang package is imported by every Java application or applet, we can refer to it just as String. To determine the length of a String, simply call the String.length() method, which returns an int value. String aString = "this is a string. what is my length?"; int length = aString.length(); System.out.println (aString); System.out.println (length); TIP - Remember that the String class is zero-indexed. Even though the String is of length n, you can only access characters in the range 0..n-1 ================================================================= Q&A: What are the Java Certification exams? Industry certification helps to distinguish skilled software developers from the pack, and to give employers an idea of the skill level of candidates. There's a certain amount of prestige associated with certification (ask anyone who has studied for, and passed a certification exam), and its usually a good measure of skills. Like other vendors (such as Microsoft), Sun Microsystems offers certification for its flagship - the Java language. This certification is suited to Java programmers and developers. There are two levels of Java certification available currently, and there are plans to expand into three levels in the future (in conjunction with Netscape and other vendors). Currently, Sun offers the following :- Sun Certified Java Programmer for JDK1.02, JDK1.1 & Java 2 Sun Certified Java Developer for JDK1.02, JDK1.1 & Java 2 What does certification involve? Passing the Sun Certified Java Programmer exam involves answering a series of multiple choice questions. Sound easy enough? There's a little more to it though - you must select ALL the right answers, without missing any or adding extra ones. Often the difference between one answer and another is subtle, and it requires a good understanding of the language and the base Java APIs. There's no reference material allowed, and to make it even tougher, a score of 70% or over is required to pass. The second level of certification involves an additional programming task. You'll be given specifications, and have to implement the system (involving actual coding). This involves a more extensive coverage of the Java APIs, but there's often more than one way to solve a problem. Should I sit the exams? Before attempting either exam, you'd be well advised to pick up an exam guide. Most guides offer sample exams, which give you an idea of the way the questions work. You'd need to have extensive Java experience (programming every day), for a reasonable amount of time. I'd say that you'd need between six months and one year's experience, unless you decided to cram. Coming from someone who has passed the exam, it's not an easy thing to do, and re-sitting the exam would be costly. (For the record, I passed first time round!) ================================================================= The Java Coffee Break Newsletter is only sent out to email subscribers who have requested it, and to readers of the comp.lang.java.programmer and comp.lang.java.help newsgroups. If you'd like to receive our newsletter, and get the latest Java news, tips and articles from our site, then get your FREE subscription & back issues from http://www.javacoffeebreak.com/newsletter/ If you are an email subscriber and no longer wish to receive the JCB Newsletter, please unsubscribe using the WWW form located at http://www.javacoffeebreak.com/newsletter/unsubscribe.html