Press Release
May 13, 1999
New Guide to the "Mother of All Graphics APIs"-Java 2D Graphics
SEBASTOPOL, CA--One of Java's greatest weaknesses has been its
graphics capabilities. "In JDK 1.0 and JDK 1.1, the graphics capabilities
that AWT offered were pretty weak," says Jonathan Knudsen, author of the
just-released book
Java 2D Graphics
(O'Reilly & Associates, $29.95).
"You could only draw lines that were one pixel wide, and you couldn't do
neat things like gradient fills, and text support was pretty limited. The
complaints go on and on. Sun had two ways to remedy this. They could patch
things up and pump a little more life into the API to keep developers just
happy enough, or they could design and deliver the mother of all graphic APIs.
They chose the second approach."
Knudsen's new book describes the 2D API from top to bottom, demonstrating
how to set line styles and pattern fills as well as more advanced techniques
of image processing and font handling. It shows how to create and manipulate
the three types of graphics objects: shapes, text, and images. Other topics
include image data storage, color management, font glyphs, and printing.
"Sun was very sensible about designing this API," says Knudsen. "Recognizing
that they weren't experts in the fields of computer graphics, text, and imaging, the good folks at Sun partnered with Adobe, Taligent, Kodak, and a little
company called Ductus, to design and build the 2D API. The result is stunning.
If you're familiar with PostScript, you'll see echoes of it throughout the API
and the text and image capabilities are equally impressive."
Java 2D Graphics
assumes no prior knowledge of graphics. Full of detailed
explanations and examples, Knudsen's book provides beginning Java
programmers with a solid foundation in 2D graphics and helps more advanced
programmers create and use high-quality images in their applications.
"I wanted to provide a good conceptual background in computer graphics,"
says Knudsen," but it had to be a very practical book. There is a working
example to illustrate almost every concept."
"Java 2D Graphics is a pleasure to read. It makes Java 2D easy to learn
with its clear exposition of Java 2D fundamentals and it's thorough
coverage of advanced topics." -David Flanagan, author of Java in a
Nutshell
###
For an interview with the author, see:
http://java.oreilly.com/news/java2d_0599.html
For more information about the book, including Table of Contents, index,
author bio, and samples, see:
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/java2d/
Java 2D Graphics
By Jonathan Knudsen
1st Edition May 1999 (US)
1-56592-484-3, 366 pages, $29.95 (US$)
About O'Reilly
O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.
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