J2EE Developer's Handbook (Developer's Library) [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by Paul J. Perrone (Author), Venkata S.R. "Krishna" R. Chaganti (Author), Tom Schwenk (Author) "THIS CHAPTER INTRODUCES YOU THE BASIC concepts involved in understanding what an enterprise system is and how the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise system needs..." (more)
Key Phrases: abstract schema type, local object interface, enterprise application components, Architecture Figure, String Figure, Windows Registry (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) is an application development platform for building robust enterprise systems. J2EE includes numerous Java APIs and tools including Enterprise JavaBeans, JavaServer Pages, and Servlets. Developers looking to leverage this complex platform need guidance not only on the features of each tool, but on using them together to create real-world systems.

J2EE Developer's Handbook provides both -- discussing the tools in the context of practical J2EE applications which demonstrate every aspect of J2EE development. In the Spring of 2003, Sun will relase J2EE 1.4 which includes numerous updates and new features such as JSP 2.0, EJB 2.1, and new APIs for creating J2EE Web Services and using the J2EE Connector Architecture.

From the Back Cover

Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) is an application development platform for building robust enterprise systems. J2EE includes numerous Java APIs and tools including Enterprise JavaBeans, JavaServer Pages, and Servlets. Developers looking to leverage this complex platform need guidance not only on the features of each tool, but on using them together to create real-world systems.

J2EE Developer's Handbook provides both -- discussing the tools in the context of practical J2EE applications which demonstrate every aspect of J2EE development. In the Spring of 2003, Sun will relase J2EE 1.4 which includes numerous updates and new features such as JSP 2.0, EJB 2.1, and new APIs for creating J2EE Web Services and using the J2EE Connector Architecture.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 1536 pages
• Publisher: Sams (June 9, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0672323486
• ISBN-13: 978-0672323485
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.1 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #880,286 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best J2EE book around, great for new or experienced coders, August 21, 2003

By	Patrick A Maddox - See all my reviews

First off, at the time I bought it, this was the only book on J2EE 1.4 published. I don't know if that's still the case, and it doesn't matter to me, because this is without a doubt the only book I would need.

I was kind of skeptical about it, because it promised to cover so many topics, but I was told where I bought it that I could return it within 60 days if I wasn't satisfied. So I figured it was worth a shot.

It covers everything about J2EE, and unlike the vast majority of other books, isn't a simple regurgitation of the numerous APIs. The best part is that it starts off with the core information you need, and then builds upon it. If you know a previous version of J2EE, you can easily skip to any chapter you want and learn what you need, because the core is the same, but if you're new to J2EE, you can just read it right through. Most books will discuss a topic, make a reference to another one, and give a brief explanation of the referenced topic. This makes readers, me at least, feeling a little lost, wondering exactly what's going on. Then that topic is covered 20 chapters later. This book, however, starts with the fundamentals and builds upon it. There's never a "which will be covered later" in the book.

I was afraid that the book would only skim over some topics, because it does cover the entire J2EE. However, due to the sheer size of the book (1350 content pages and another 300 pages on CD) it covers everything in detail. The only exception I think is EJBs, however anyone programming EJBs ought to pick up the O'Reilly Enterprise JavaBeans book anyway. This book covers it in enough detail that you can write and use EJBs, and gives a very thorough discussion of the lifecycle, process, and purpose, but is somewhat lacking on the configuration and advanced features of EJBs. However, like I said, it's such an extensive topic that any J2EE programmer should have the O'Reilly book in his library anyway.

The only downside to this book is that there isn't much information that an experienced Java programmer wouldn't know. This is because the enhancements to J2EE, while numerous, are not in fact new. The inclusion of web services is new to J2EE 1.4, and so is not covered in older books, but it's been so common in use that many programmers already know quite a bit about web services. Still, it gives very good information on proper usage and the interactions between web services and the other components of J2EE.

Coming away from reading this book, you're left not only with the ability to use the features of J2EE, but a solid understanding of how the components interact, what the purpose of various features are, and an incredibly thorough understanding of the workings of J2EE, something which most other books lack. The companion CD does not have any J2EE specific content, containing tools and information that further enhances your understanding of webapps (TCP/IP, HTTP, etc). I'd say this book is essential for any programmer learning J2EE 1.4, whether just new to J2EE or coming from a previous version. You're left with the ability to effectively use it, along with a thorough understanding of what's actually happening. Definitely the most used book on my shelf now.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very good reference, bad tutorial, March 6, 2004

By	Yuksel Guney Hanedan "ghanedan" (A City, Turkey) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I purchased the book mainly for SAX, Servlets and JSP but I of course have read the other topics too. The book excellently gives details about the whole J2EE environment BUT it's not a beginner's book; For most of the subjects inside the book I had to consult simpler tutorials like the ones on Sun's web site or simple introductions that can be found on Web. You must have some serious knowledge about every component of J2EE covered in this book, to understand and follow the subjects.

So why should I buy this book if I have to consult many tutorials? The answer is: "This is a reference book". Indeed the book deserves 4 stars as a reference book but as a tutorial it's use is very limited; First of all, the example codes for the book are readily bundled on an extra CD (provided with the book) and this makes tracing of the classes, interfaces etc. as the subjects arise nearly impossible, because there are many example classes related with each other and it's practically very hard for the reader to write and trace the codes line by line. It would be much better if the writers presented the codes as the relevent classes arise IN THE BOOK, but just code snippets are presented, and rest of the classes are left for user to be explored from CD. This is not a good tutorial approach in my opinion. For instance If I were to change something in some example class provided with the book I had to change everything with the other related classes and It would be very hard to detect which class has code that could be affected from my change.
The book DOESN'T motivate you to WRITE OR CHANGE ANYTHING, rather it dictates you to FOLLOW EVERYTHING FROM CD. For instance there is really a large section present for XML processing but there is not even one inspiring idea for you to write some original XML data on your own. Also some sections doesn't provide enough information about THE WAY THINGS SHOULD BE USED; When should I use a servlets? or when should I use JSP instead? Why? Such questions remain unanswered by the authors. Why should I use Schema instead of DTD's and when? Unanswered. Just giving the API's and diagrams don't solve the problem. CORBA, RMI or EJB? Which one and when? Unanswered.

Shortly, as a reference book this one is very good but as a tutorial it may even deserve 2 stars. And if I needed a reference book, there is one present and free, "the J2EE tutorial" on Sun's web site.(That one also suffers from same symptoms but it's free).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars J2EE 1.4 Erupted!, August 21, 2003

By	D. Bree (Manchester, UK) - See all my reviews

I've been very pleased with this book. The authors have done a very good job at jumping into the details of J2EE 1.4 early on in the book and continuing with that level of detail throughout all 1500 some pages! I admit to not having read the whole book yet, but the chapters on EJB, SOAP, and XML have been excellent.

I particularly like the use of UML class diagrams to present an API. It is simply much easier to understand an API by looking at a sexy picture showing relationships rather than staring at a JavaDoc page. The writing is good, the examples work, and the coverage is thorough and in great depth. All in one book! I'm quite pleased and have been recommending it to my mates interested in J2EE and Web Services.