Not Just Java (2nd Edition) [Paperback]

Peter Van Der Linden (Author)

Book Description

Series: Java (Addison-Wesley) | Publication Date: October 22, 1998

Now that the Java hype is settling down, it's time for IT professionals to ask the tough questions: What is Java good for? How much of your time (and your organization's resources) should you invest in it? What can Java do today, and what gaps still exist? What are strategic vendors like Microsoft, H-P, Compaq, Intel, IBM and Sun doing about Java - and how should their plans and products affect your Java strategy? This is a complete, up-to-the-minute Java briefing for every IT professional and decision-maker. Understand Java's rapidly evolving role in the Internet, intranets, E-commerce, and in reducing the cost of computing. Discover how Java fits with DHTML, XML, JavaScript and other key browser technologies, and see how companies are using Java applets for competitive advantage. Get new statistics on Java adoption, and discover strategic new Java products, such as Visual Basic-to-Java converters. Get a no-holds-barred view of Java security, compared with alternatives such as Microsoft's ActiveX. Learn the status of Sun's Java libraries and APIs - and alternatives proposed by Microsoft and others. Whatever your role, this book will help you plan for Java more effectively.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Written with the Information Systems professional or general reader in mind, Not Just Java: A Technology Briefing provides an introduction to today's Internet, gives an overview of what's best in Java (though with a distinctly anti-Microsoft spin), and stresses the growing importance of Java technology.

The book begins with a tour of today's major software and hardware corporations and their strategies regarding Java. (Predictably, Sun fares well, while Microsoft is portrayed as the enemy who wants to "kill" Java, which is probably an oversimplified view of the matter.) Introductory material on the basics of the Internet, from the basics of HTTP and hypertext, follows. Author Peter van der Linden then covers programming within today's browsers, discussing plug-ins, JavaScript, Common Gateway Interface (CGI), and Java. Throughout Not Just Java, he uses brief case studies to illustrate Java in action.

Next, he discusses e-commerce, obviously an area with tremendous potential, and then security on the Internet. Here again, Microsoft technology fails to measure up. A tour of Java as a better object-oriented programming language follows, including additional multimedia Java APIs and JavaBeans (including Enterprise JavaBeans).

Later sections in the book look at today's multitiered distributed architectures and what Java offers for the enterprise, including network and distributed computing. Readers who don't mind strong opinions will appreciate Not Just Java's argumentative approach to what Java is and how it might well transform computing as we know it within the next few years. --Richard Dragan

From the Back Cover

Not Just Java is an insightful, up-to-the-minute briefing for IT professionals who need an executive summary of Java's impact on the Web, intranets, and E-commerce, as well as the role it will play in lowering the cost of computing. Understand how Java changes everything and more importantly how it will affect your IT organization. Explore the Java strategies of key players in the industry, including Sun, Microsoft, IBM and H-P. Gain much-needed perspective on these and other critical issues:

• How are leading companies using Java today for competitive advantage?
• How does Java fit with DHTML, XML, JavaScript and other Internet technologies?
• What Java libraries are available now, in JDK 1.2-and what's still on the way?
• What's your best strategy for component development with Java?
• How secure is Java, compared to other alternatives?

Brand-new case studies! From Quote.com to Amazon.com, and Dell Computers, discover the latest and best in Java enterprise and commercial application development!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall PTR; 2 Sub edition (October 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130796603
• ISBN-13: 978-0130796608
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,746,975 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like a girl's skirt!, October 8, 2003

By 

David A. Koontz (Fayetteville, AR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Not Just Java (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

Like a girl's skirt!

Just long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to be interesting!

I enjoyed this book - great for the manager, who wants to know what is this thing called JAVA.

David

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A useful survey of technologies, tarnished by hatred, July 3, 2000

By 

Nicholas Sterling "AmigoNico" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Not Just Java (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

I'd like to rate this book 4 +/- 1. Peter has a very readable style, and the book is a useful survey of a number of forces shaping the future use of technology, particularly in business. For that I'd give it a 4. Note that it does NOT show you how to use any of these technologies; it just tries to tell you why they're important.

Whether you add or subtract one depends on how you feel about his attitude about Microsoft. If you look at the steady stream of improvements Microsoft has made over the years and feel grateful to the company, you'll hate this book. Peter can fairly be accused of bashing Microsoft.

If, on the other hand, you believe that the innovation that WOULD HAVE taken place -- had Microsoft not used its monopoly power as it did -- would have left us with a richer world of software, then you will at least have some sympathy for his obvious anger against the company. You might even find some of his many historical notes quite interesting.

And if you keep abreast of the technology but largely ignore the political/economic forces that shape the industry, you'll probably find all of this distracting and attribute the rants to hormones and/or stock positions. :^)

Seriously, though, there is a lot of venting.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good balanced summary of industry, August 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Not Just Java (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

I don't understand people who slam a book because it has a different perspective than their own biases and point of view.

"Not Just Java" is a good, balanced appraisal of the computer industry, the players and products, and where Java fits in. It points out the shortcomings of Java and Microsoft equally. Recommended