In this chapter we have examined how Java deals with the data. The use of the stack and heap are important programming concepts that go a long way in explaining concepts such as the scope and lifetime of a variable. The difference between objects and primitive data types was introduced along with the initialization of variables. The initialization process will be covered in more detail in Chapter 6, Classes, Constructors, and Methods. The operators available in Java were listed along with the rules of precedence and associativity. In addition, the manipulation of character and string data was presented.
In the next chapter we will explore the decision constructs available in Java and how they can be used effectively. This will build upon the data types presented here.