JSP, Servlets, and MySQL (Paperback)

~ (Author) "AS A DEVELOPER, you have the full range of options for developing dynamic, database-enabled Web sites..." (more)
Key Phrases: controller servlet, iterate tag, request interceptor, Java Web, Sun Microsystems, Hello World (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Dave knows his stuff... this book will give you the toolset you need to solve real-world problems." -- Barton Fiske, Senior Technology Manager for Graphics, Java, Network Appliances, Sun Microsystems, Inc.

"Harms is a master at presenting the most relevant concepts and with precisely the right level of details..." -- Nicholas Petreley, founding editor of LinuxWorld magazine

Product Description

JSP, Servlets, and MySQL is the only book on the market where developers learn how to build a database-driven Web site using JSP, Java servlets, and MySQL. Servlets and JavaServer Pages are ideal tools for affordably and quickly delivering dynamic web pages, and MySQL is an excellent choice for the data repository.

This book explains how to install and use servlets and JavaServer Pages (using the Tomcat reference implementation), how to create, maintain, and use MySQL (and other SQL) databases, and how to deliver dynamic data. It details a complete database-driven web strategy including authentication, user tracking, surveys and discussion areas, and automated user assistance.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 500 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; illustrated edition edition (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764547879
• ISBN-13: 978-0764547874
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #693,884 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Do not buy this book, June 10, 2001

By A Customer

I bought this book because it was about JSP, Servlets and MySQL, and that was exactly what I was going to be working with. I was very disappointed.

The arrangement of text and examples makes it confusing to read, and I often found myself flipping pages back and forth to try and grasp what the author was talking about. Often there was first a result, and then examples of all the files used to get that result. In my experience, most computer books show you the pieces and then the finished product. This backwards organization made many of the explanations more difficult than they needed to be. While the introduction section had lots of decent content, the way it flowed made it a more difficult read than it needed to be.

I browsed the part on MySQL. Most of it dealt with database design and normalization as opposed to the MySQL server and it's configuration. All of the information in this book regarding MySQL is in the "getting started" section of the MySQL documentation. The explanations regarding database design were terrible, and the suggestions regarding how to design the database were obviously made by someone with very little programming (and especially maintenance) experience.

When I finally got to the meat (part three and four) I found that the same poor organization of part one was still present, and beyond a URL for the MySQL JDBC driver, none of the content is worth reading. The design patterns are poorly explained, to the point where they suggest obscene programming techniques. When the author suggested to name files ".htm" instead of ".html" to avoid infinite loops when using the MVC design pattern, I finally put the book down, went to the bookstore, and bought something else. You do not correct an infinite loop by implementing a naming convention -- you correct it by not creating the scenario in the first place.

David Harms does not demonstrate a strong understanding of the content, nor does he demonstrate a strong understanding of programming. The book I bought on my second trip to the bookstore was "Core Servlets and JavaServer Pages" by Marty Hall (Sun), and I've learned more from chapters one and two than I did reading the first 300 pages of this book. This book is a waste of time and money, and I pity those that use it as a guide.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Get ready to learn AND research errors..., June 6, 2001

By	Dean F Marsh (Westfield, NJ and Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews

While I have gained a lot of knowledge and insight from reading this book, I have to say that I am more than disappointed at many of the errors in this book. As a person that enjoys typing in the examples, bringing things up and running and trying it out, I was disappointed to find that I needed to correct so much.

A major example in the errors found in the examples is on pages 106 and 107 where you type in a very basic class demonstrating on how to create a "Tag Handler Class that Gets Request Parameters." Two things are wrong here as the example never handles the NullPointerException that you get from the compiler when you first start the .jsp page (because the parameter is null at that point) and uses the equality operator for verifying two strings (should have made use of the String.equals() method.)

I am on page 107 (out of 500 or so) and have spent more time troubleshooting the examples than learning. I guess the publisher's deadlines were more important than teaching a good lesson!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mileage My Vary, October 26, 2001

By A Customer

This book was useful for getting an idea of how to get your JSPs and Servlets (using Tomcat) to talk to MySql. If you already know how to use JSP and Servlets, and are specifically trying to get some ideas on this configuration, it's probably worth it's one-time useage. (Better yet, see if you know anybody with the book, i'm sure they'll be willing to part with it)

Some of the examples were useful. But, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone trying to learn about Java or JSP.

As someone already wrote, the link to the Java drivers for MySQL was probably the most valuable thing in this book.