I own and read ‘Java Puzzlers’, ‘Clean Code’ and GOF’s ‘Design Patterns’ and more specific technology books however I have not yet read ‘Effective Java’. Whenever I see a list of must read books I always see a copy a ‘Effective Java’ but I have put off buying it seeing as a learn to write Java book rather than a write better Java book. Is it still worth a read or even a purchase. What is special about this book that I am missing out on by not reading this.
I know my design patterns and practice TDD and attempt to write clean code :), what will I gain from this book?
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It’s definitely not a “learn to write Java” book – it’s quite useful even for experienced programmers. The level is similar to ‘Java Puzzlers’, but instead of showing off weird details for their own sake, it teaches stuff that matters for everyday programming – gotchas and best practices (and most importantly why they are best practices). You probably already know a lot of it, but I can almost guarantee that you’ll still learn some valuable and new things.
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