Customer Reviews

Java and the AS/400: Practical Examples Using VisualAge for Java

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is definitely NOT for the RPG programmer wishing to learn about Java. I have marked this book down heavily for its misleading title: implying that it explains Java as well as Visual Age for Java (VAJ). The book assumes not just a basic, but a *thorough* knowledge of the Java language, on which it builds its VAJ examples.

The VAJ examples leave something to be desired, since they are presented as completed, with the text and diagrams then referring to specific parts of an example and showing the Java code generated (meaningless to me).

The book works through a series of advanced topics extremely rapidly. I realised how rapidly, when reading topics with which I am familiar (e.g. IFS). For a reader with existing knowledge, I think the book would work well - but for a "new to Java" reader, it's too brief.

What the book does not do, is take someone completely new to the VAJ environment, step by step through building the examples.

In conclusion, the book is a very good reference for the moderately experienced Java and VAJ developer, who wants to check on how to do something in the AS/400 environment. But it is of little use to someone such as myself, an experience RPGIV developer with no Java or VAJ experience.

I am now left with the dilema of using Amazon's no quibble returns guarantee; or buying yet another book on AS/400 Java, and some basic VAJ training, before trying this book again.

It is unusual to find a book that has exactly the right content presented in exactly the right way at exactly the right time. This was the case for me and Dan's book.

Having had some experience with Java and just beginning to involve the As/400, I was going from the relatively easy, intuitive environment of Inprise's JBuilder to the totally non-intuitive Unix shell environment of Java on the AS/400. It seemed that every time I would run into a problem(which was often), Dan had already encountered it and explained it in his book.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone with Java experience who is contemplating working with Java on the AS/400. It will save you many heartaches and lots of time.

By the way, the fact that the book uses VisualAge for Java and I use JBuilder was of no consequence.

Thanks Dan for providing the right help at the right time

I was quite pleased with this book. It was full of practical information for getting Java 'up and running' on the AS/400. In particular, I was thankful for the discussion and examples of how to compile/execute using the AS/400 command line.

It is not a beginner Java book, nor is it intended for those with more traditional AS/400 skills (e.g. RPG, COBOL, etc.) But if you are familiar with Java and need to get it going on your 400, this is a great book to have.

This book is the most important for those who want to enter the world of enterprise web integration.

I started learning from this book and other IBM Visual Age redbooks about 2 years ago. Although I wasn't new to java programming back then, but I still needed this book to complete AS/400 to web integration project. This book helped me understand the details of AS/400 toolbox classes and how to effectively use these classes. It gives in depth information about AS/400 Integrated File System(IFS), Qsh interpreter(AS/400 unix like environment). There are ample examples in the book about invoking RPG programs from java programs. It also explains subfile and other dds specific classes from Toolbox.

In a nutshell this book ushered me in the world of enterprise integration with java programming.

Reviewers below have hit the nail on the head. I have no previous Java experience and I still no little (or nothing about it). However, I now DO know the concepts of have java is implemented on the AS/400, the IFS etc.

In summary if you want to learn the concepts buy it. If you want to learn java or VAJ buy something else

MY REVIE

I wish it's publishing should be taken rapidily the java book for as/400 is not much.