JavaFX For Dummies

Introduction

In the beginning there was AWT, the Abstract Window Toolkit. AWT was Java’s first system for displaying window-based user interfaces in Java. AWT begat Swing, which soon became the preferred way to create user-friendly applications in Java.

But then there was JavaFX, the worthy successor to the GUI throne. JavaFX is designed to create stunning user interfaces that can run on a wide variety of devices, including traditional desktop and portable computers, tablets, smartphones, TV set-top boxes, game consoles, and many other types of devices.

Until recently, JavaFX was the red-headed stepchild of the Java world. It co-existed with Java, but wasn’t an official part of Java. But beginning with Java version 8, JavaFX is now fully integrated into Java. And while JavaFX and Swing coexist today, Oracle has made it clear that Swing is in its twilight and JavaFX represents the future of user-interface programming.

So you’re holding the right book in your hands. JavaFX is an essential skill for every Java programmer to have at his or her disposal, and this book will help you master that skill.

About This Book

This isn’t the kind of book you pick up and read from start to finish, as if it was a cheap novel. If I ever see you reading it at the beach, I’ll kick sand in your face. Beaches are for reading romance novels or murder mysteries, not programming books.

Assuming, then, that you have found a more suitable location to read this book, you can, if you want, read it straight ...