The book begins with a basic application, and then moves on to explaining data types and the basics of writing classes. The author's coverage of how to use inheritance and interfaces in Java is just excellent, mixing intelligent ideas on object-oriented design with the nuts and bolts of the Java programming language. Subsequent chapters on Java exceptions and threads are also noteworthy for their depth and detail.
The book gradually zeroes in on Microsoft-specific features, but only after a thorough tour of core Java, including networking, file input/output (I/O), and basic Abstract Windows Toolkit (AWT) programming. Visual J++ 6 features that are covered include J/Direct, Windows Foundation Classes (WFC), and ActiveX control programming, as well as databases, including the ActiveX Data Objects (ADO), Data Access Objects (DAO), and Remote Data Objects (RDO) specifications. -- Richard Dragan