This is the first of three volumes of the Harnessing Java TM 7 book. It provides a comprehensive approach to learning the Java programming language to all levels of Java developers. It covers the fundamental topics of Java in detail such as Object-Oriented concepts, data types, operators, etc. It contains more than 70 diagrams to help programmers visualize and understand the topics better. More than 170 complete programs included in this volume help beginners and intermediate level programmers learn the topics faster. The second chapter, "Writing Java Programs" , has been especially designed for beginners, which walks you through writing your first Java program step-by-step. The following topics are covered in this volume. It covers the following new features of Java TM 7 in detail.