To all our valued readers and users of this message board.

This message board has existed since the printing of the second edition of Java Gently in 1998, and over the years has seen extensive use. Novice and advanced users alike have gained much insight and knowledge through the postings to this site. We, the students and staff of the Computer Science department at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, have diligently maintained the board over the years, moderating the discussions and lending a helping hand whenever possible. For us too it has been a worthwhile learning experience.

The past six months, give or take, have regrettably seen a decline in the maintenance and effectiveness of the board, and we feel many users have been disappointed when their queries have remained unanswered. The number of spam postings has increased rapidly, with the effect that the board has become unsightly and difficult to navigate. For these reasons we have decided to discontinue the service on this and our other sites. We will not, however, discard the valuable information that has accumulated over the years through the use of all the boards. A project will soon be launched (time permitting) that will see the postings reorganised into a categorised FAQ document. We shall make this document available on the website and hope that both new and old users will find some value in it.

In the mean time, an assortment of guides, tutorials and forums exist on-line to aid Java programmers in their quest to master the language. A good place to find a heap of resources is the JavaSoft website ( http://java.sun.com). Indeed, whenever we were unable to answer a question on the board, we would turn to this site for the answer. When all else fails, try consulting your lecturer, supervisor, technical support staff or friends. The wealth of knowledge we can find an e-mail or phonecall away is often amazing.

So long, and thanks for all the coffee!

The Java Gently Staff