Published at LXer:

I liked Fisher's Introduction to Java Phrasebook in that he very clearly explained what a phrasebook is and what it isn't. That's pretty much key when deciding to buy a phrasebook or not. He used the analogy of a foreign language phrasebook (from which the technical phrasebook gets its origins). Let's say you want to vacation in Germany but don't speak the language. With a German phrasebook, you could look up any number of common phrases to help you get by ("Where's the bathroom?" is a must). The phrasebook in no way shape or form is able to actually teach you the German language nor does it contain all of the phrases you might imagine wanting to say (such as "Do you come here often?"). Phrasebooks contain just enough to get you by. With that in mind, I proceeded through the pages of Fisher's text.

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