All of Java's Input/Output (I/O) facilities are based on
streams, which provide simple ways to read and write data of different
types. Java provides many different kinds of streams, each with its own
application. The universe of streams is divided into four large
categories: input streams and output streams, for reading and writing
binary data; and readers and writers, for reading and writing textual
(character) data. You're almost certainly familiar with the basic kinds
of streams--but did you know that there's a CipherInputStream for
reading encrypted data? And a ZipOutputStream for automatically
compressing data? Do you know how to use buffered streams effectively
to make your I/O operations more efficient? Java I/O,
2nd Edition has been updated for Java 5.0 APIs and tells you
all you ever need to know about streams--and probably more.

A discussion of I/O wouldn't be complete without treatment of character
sets and formatting. Java supports the UNICODE standard, which provides
definitions for the character sets of most written languages.
Consequently, Java is the first programming language that lets you do
I/O in virtually any language. Java also provides a sophisticated model
for formatting textual and numeric data. Java I/O,
2nd Edition shows you how to control number formatting, use characters aside from
the standard (but outdated) ASCII character set, and get a head start
on writing truly multilingual software.

Java I/O, 2nd Edition includes:

• Coverage of all I/O classes and related classes

• In-depth coverage of Java's number formatting facilities
  and its support for International character sets