Peter van der Linden's newly revised Just Java 2, Fifth Edition adds a good deal of updated material and a lot more personality to an already capable tutorial aimed at the beginning Java developer, preferably with some previous programming experience. While earlier editions of this title certainly delivered the goods, the new edition beefs up the author's personal touch. At the end of each chapter, van der Linden--a true Silicon Valley insider--shares numerous war stories drawn from computing, with topics ranging from scam computer companies and products to achievements in computer history (like the invention of the mouse and the source for HAL in Stanley Kubrick's 2001). Several sections rail against the attempt to suppress algorithms that subvert DVD protection schemes (including an "illegal" long prime number and even a T-shirt that contains the "illegal" C code).
