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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Lots on Java, little about Linux, December 31, 2004
This review is from: Java™ Application Development on Linux® (Paperback)
I'm not sure why we needed this book. Java is supposed to be "write once, run anywhere" (WORA). And in general Java and it's related tools are pretty close to that. So what does a book about Java on Linux bring? A little bit of information about make, which you probably won't use, but will use Ant instead (which is also covered). And information on gcj, which is unique to Linux.
Most of the book is about generic Java application development. Database persistence work using the standard persistence tools (JDBC, EJB). Web development using Tomcat. And UI development with Swing and SWT. None of which is Linux specific. The IDEs that are covered, Netbeans and Eclipse, are also not Linux specific.
So can't it just be a general Java development book? Sure. And it is that. Problem is that we have a glut of Java books. And the coverage of any one topic in this book, say JDBC as an example, is not so deep as to replace JDBC specific books that you will get from other companies.
As it stands, this book is a good high level introduction to Java application development both on the web and on the desktop.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely readable, very informative, and deep without being, January 18, 2005
This review is from: Java™ Application Development on Linux® (Paperback)
Java was developed to be a cross-platform language. "Write Once, Run Anywhere" is the slogan, and an admirable ideal to attempt to reach. So when I first saw the title of the book Java Application Development on Linux, I expected to find descriptions of some idiosyncrasies in the Linux environment that affected the "Run Anywhere" part of the equation. What I got was a lot more.
The authors, Carl Albing and Michael Schwarz, chose to create a book that is a complete guide to writing commercial-quality Java programs. They focused on how to use the tools of Linux to assist in the creation of Java programs. The book is broken up into five major parts: Getting Started, Developing Business Logic, Developing Graphical User Interfaces, Developing Web Interfaces, and Developing Enterprise Scale Software. Each chapter is self-contained, and the reader can choose what they read without losing track. Each chapter starts with a summary of what you'll learn, and concludes with a "What You Still Don't Know" section.
Part I provides a 10-chapter overview of Linux, Java, the SDK's (Software Development Kits) from Sun and IBM, version control via CVS, and IDEs. The first two chapters cover a sampling of command-line Linux, plus the Vi editor to create your programs. Chapter 3 gives you a overview of the Java language, and Chapter 4 covers how the program can deal with the context in which it's running. The next two chapters cover Sun's SDK and IBM's development kit (briefly). Chapter 7 describes how to use the GNU Compiler for Java (gcj) to create native-code programs.
Larger programs definitely need some form of source control, so the widely available Concurrent Versioning System (CVS) is clearly described out. For building and deploying the numerous files of a larger project, Ant provides value beyond what the make facility can offer. Finally, Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) are covered. The focus is on NetBeans, but SunONE Studio Community Edition and Eclipse are also covered.
If the book stopped after Part I, you would still have a valuable addition to your bookshelf. However, Part II continues with a five-chapter discussion on how to get requirements, documentation, and buy-in; how to analyze the program and discover the objects to be created; automated testing with JUnit; storing data in databases using Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MySQL; and using the Java Database Connector (JDBC) to access them.
Most users want some form of a graphical user interface (GUI) to access the program and their data. Part III describe how to create a GUI using Swing and the Standard Widget Toolkit (SWT).
By far the most popular way to access programs is via a browser. Part IV describes Java Servlets and JSP (JavaServer Pages), and also talks about two Java-based web application servers (JBoss and Geronimo).
Finally, Part V covers Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs) in what the authors describe as "an almost criminally brief introduction". While it is definitely an overview, they still cover more than enough about EJBs to get you rolling. They wrap up the book with a plea for help. The book is an Open Content book, and therefore they are requesting comments, suggestions, and patch files to help improve the text and examples.
I have to admit that Java Application Development on Linux is an extremely readable, very informative, and deep without being lengthy book. The tone used by Carl and Michael was very conversational. I found it enjoyable, interesting, and highly informative. The only complaint I have is that they tried to cover a little too much in a single book. EJBs definitely warranted more coverage than they provided. In all, I rate it a 4 out of 5.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good resource for those who want to get a feel for what's out there, September 14, 2005
This review is from: Java™ Application Development on Linux® (Paperback)
Java and Linux have come a long way since their respective introductions. Java is a serious contender as a platform for application development on the web, while Linux is widely regarded as an excellent platform for developing applications. For those who haven't kept current with Java development since the heady days of applet development, the myriad of Java technologies can look like a morass of car parts, musical genres, and acronyms. <cite>Java Application Development on Linux</cite> helps make sense of the current Java technologies and developments, while ensuring that the reader uses Open Source technologies as much as possible from start to finish.
Part one of <cite>Java Application Development on Linux</cite> covers the Linux and Java foundations used in the rest of the book. Chapter one covers the fundamentals of UNIX and Linux by introducing Standard I/O, Pipes, Environment Variables, and rudimentary commands such as ls, find, chmod, tar, and man. Next, the authors introduce the venerable vi editor. The basic moves of vi are explained as well as regular expressions. (Lest other editor afficianados complain, other editors, as well as sed, are introduced, but not fully covered). Chapter 3 is a whirlwind tour of the fundamentals of Java and Object Oriented programming. This chapter is an admirable distillation of the concepts of Java, but by no means will it teach a rank beginner all of the points needed for full Java proficiency. Chapter 4 ties the first three chapters together by creating a simple Java program, compiling it, and reditecting input streams into the compiled program. The latter part of the chapter deals with incorporating environment variables into Java code using getProperties() and getproperty(), and with executing code via the Runtime class. Next, the book looks back at the Sun JDK, providing an overview of the Java Compiler, the Java Runtime, javadoc, JNI, and RMI, the Java Debugger (jdb), and jar. Chapter 6 is a quick look at the IBM Developer kit, and then it's on to chapters covering The GNU Java Compiler (gcj) and CVS. Chapter 9 picks up with Ant, and provides a look at why Ant was created and how to create buildfiles. Chapters 10 rounds out the first part of the book with an unfortunately dated look at Netbeans 3 and Eclipse 2 (both of which have recently released radically updated versions).
Part two of <cite>Java Application Development on Linux</cite> is entitled "Developing Business Logic". Chapter 11 covers the not-so-fun portions of development: requirements gathering and prototyping. This chapter also introduces a budget analysis project used throughout the rest of the book. Chapter 12 covers Analysis and Design, while chapter 13 covers everybody's favorite part of development: testing! Chapter 13 discusses installing and using JUnit to create automated test cases. The last two chapters in part two cover using a databases and JDBC together.
Part three dips into Graphical interfaces, and gives equal time for both Swing and SWT. Both toolkits are given equal time, and the Budget application introduced in part two is given a stand-alone application front-end using both toolkits.
Java gained lots of traction lately on the web application server, and part four introduces Servelets, JSP Servelts, and Open Source Web Application Servers. All three of these chapters keep using the budgetting application as the basis for their examples. In part five, Enterprise Java Beans (EJBs) are introduced in the context of this same budgeting application. While the authors admit that EJBs may be overkill for the budgeting application, they give ample coverage to clarify the role of EJBs in the enterprise.
Every chapter in <cite>Java Application Development on Linux</cite> includes a section describing what the authors didn't tell the reader, along with a section on additional reading. I found it extremely helpful to know what the authors didn't cover about each of the presented topics, and where to go for more information. Each topic is presented frankly, with a conversational style that makes the book easy to follow and easy to read. The book's style was so good that I found myself at the end of several chapters reading the "What you don't know" section hoping that there was more for me to digest. The authors had a large task in distilling the whole of Java and Linux development into one small book, but I wish that in future editions of the book they would have more space to delve deeper into these subjects.
<cite>Java Application Development on Linux</cite> presents a broad picture of the state of Java and how Linux can play a part in developing applications under this framework. While this book did leave me wanting more, it still stands as an excellent introduction to Linux, Java, and the various Open Source tools for Java Development. Readers interested in stepping into the vast ocean of Java Development will find <cite>Java Application Development on Linux</cite> a handy guide, and a resource which they will refer to along the way.
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