Effective Java — The second edition

What Java programmer hasn’t heard of Joshua Bloch’s classic Effective Java? The Czech translation is called Java efektivně — 57 zásad softwarového experta. Today I came across an interview with the author at this year’s JavaOne. Among other things, they discussed the second edition, expanded to cover Java 5’s additions to the language syntax and API.

Two messages in the interview stood out to me.

What is your opinion on the inclusion Closures in Java 7?

As readers of the first edition know, I value simplicity and clarity above all else. So it should come as no surprise that I don’t want to see anymore major additions to the Java programming language. It’s already as complex as a language should be. If Java programmers want to use features that aren’t present in the language, I think they’re probably best off using another langauge that targets the JVM, such a Scala and Groovy.

I agree wholeheartedly. And the second one…

Every developer should read this book — but some might not be able to make time. For those, if you were to promote just one message from the book what would it be?

Always strive to write simple, clear, and correct programs. It is penny wise and pound foolish to do otherwise. Style does matter. It pays real dividends in terms of correctness, usability, robustness, and maintainability. Also, it’s way more fun to write good programs than bad ones.

The thought of someone deliberately writing complicated, obfuscated code that doesn’t work makes me laugh. Maybe he just wanted to entice potential readers with the promise that the second edition would show them how to accomplish what he’s talking about…