5 comments about Java Server Pages Application Development.

1. Ben Forta's JavaServer Pages Application Development will teach even the most novice user all that is necessary for effective JSP programming, with emphasis on techniques that allow the programmers to get the job done quickly and efficiently. Other technologies are introduced as well, including Servlets, the Java language, JDBC, and beans. Using extensive examples, and a hands-on approach, JavaServer Pages Application Development walks the reader through the most important topics for web developers, including security, database interaction, custom tags and scalability. All the examples are based on hard earned, real-world experience. Especialy recommended for Intermediate/Advanced level web page developer. 416pp.



2. I am the senior web developer at a small company looking for a good book to bring my less-experienced people up to speed on JSP. I bought this book because the introduction says, "This book is designed to teach you JSP, even if you have no Java experience whatsoever." Sadly that is not true.
   Just three pages into Chapter 2, 'Creating a JSP Page', the author hits you with several pages of Java source code as he compares and contrasts the java source produced by JRun, Tomcat, etc as a result of processing a simple JSP page.
   The first piece of JSP you see is the page directive, and this topic begins with references to java packages. First, I would think that there are kindler, gentler ways to dip ones toe into the JSP waters. Surely some simple JSPs could be written that do not require the <%@page import...> directive, saving this subject for later. And even so, the explanation of packages would make no sense to someone who did not already understand java.
   And so it goes throughout this book.



3. I have some programming experience but am new to Java/JSP. I choose this book to start out with and am about half way through working all the examples by hand using Forte for Java CE and then "deploying" them to a seperate test server running Tomcat 4.0. Basically, there are several errors in the example code in the book. Some of these are fixed on the versions on the cd - some not. I've wasted many hours scouring the net and pulling my hair out to get the examples to compile and work in both Forte for Java CE and Tomcat 4.0 - EXTREMELY frustrating for newbies like me. Too bad, since otherwise the book is pretty well written. Don't assume the example code is correct and you'll be okay.



4. The book is not bad and somewhat practical. If it was sold for half of its present retail price, I'd give it 4 stars.



5. Price is fine, content solid. From what I understand the author is extremely knowledgable about the applications of Java, not just the syntax, etc. That's what's important to me at least. Highly recommend as a starter!

No comments about Java Jottings: An Annotated Bibliography.

5 comments about Not Just Java (2nd Edition).

1. 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.




2. I bought the book hoping for a guide to programming a network application in Java. It turns out that there is not a bit of code in the book (well, there is a bit to describe OOP). While the info in it is very interesting and a good read for someone interested in programming in Java seriously, it is not for the reference bookshelf.

   It mainly covers the market, evil Microsoft's efforts to destroy Java, trends, security, and an excellent section on why Java is better than C++.




3. I bought the book hoping for a guide to programming a network application in Java. It turns out that there is not a bit of code in the book (well, there is a bit to describe OOP). While the info in it is very interesting and a good read for someone interested in programming in Java seriously, it is not for the reference bookshelf.

   It mainly covers the market, evil Microsoft's efforts to destroy Java, trends, security, and an excellent section on why Java is better than C++.




4. A terrific book to give us the context for programming in the internet cloud in general - a one-stop resource for what's important. But that was in 1998 and I would like to see a revised edition. The ranting and raving about Microsoft was hilarious and accurate and of course one sided, but that is the American spirit - Ask the Raider Nation about the super bowl and the Bucs! And that does not make SUN an angel either. IMHO SUN is a big ..., confused about the extent of their rights to copyrights (they made me spend two hours on establishing their rights after I gave them [money]) and the whining in the courts about MS and weren't they the dot in the dotcom? Having said that, Peter is one of the BEST technical writers around (refer: Deep C classic) and I look forward to his future books.



5. 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

3 comments about Java Security Handbook.

1. Java Security Handbook is the latest Java book from Macmillan USA SAMS. It is authored by Jamie Jaworski and Paul Perrone, both of whom have authored some other good books in the past. Anyway, if you are an enterprise Java developer, this is really a must have.

   It is well organized, and covers security policy formulation and analysis, as well as the latest on Java Security, including Java cryptography (JCE), security mathematics, SSL, JAAS, and the latest extensions.

   But then it also has a special focus on J2EE security features and applications of security for enterprise Java application development by covering Java Networking and Jini security, EJB Security, Servlet and JSP security, JDBC/database security, etc.

   Overall, it is by far the most up-to-date, comprehensive treatment of the subject. It is unique in its coverage of J2EE security as well.

   [...]




2. This book is just ok for the java programmer without security experice. It explains the security concept very clear. But there are lots of typing errors. and the support are terrible. The source code online are incomplete. The book website is down.



3. This book has been very helpful for me so far in practice. There are many different aspects of security in Java from JAAS to J2EE to JCE, etc. He goes through and gives a decent synopsis for all of these areas. This book is good to have for these overviews. If you're going to really dive into an area of Java security, you'll probably need more information but he does a decent job providing the starting point. I found the examples very helpful especially in the JCE sections. The thing I really like is that my project managers seem to be very interested in some newer items like JAAS and JSSE and this book provides information in those areas.

No comments about Data Structures and Software Development in an Object Oriented Domain, Java Edition.

2 comments about Introduction to Engineering Programming: In C, Matlab and Java.

1. I loved the part where the little dog got run over by the truck and little billy ran after him



2. This book is very well put together. The material is presented in, at times, a jovial manner(hard to do with an instructional computer text). It's easy to understand and the authors have an incredible grasp on the subject matter.

4 comments about Professional Java Custom UI Components.

1. At first I was really excited about reading this book. I have several books from the WROX publishers, and for the most part I have found them to be very high above average in their ability to explain their topics in a very deep manner. While I do not think that this book covers Swing very deeply, I still believe that it is a good book for learning the concepts of Swing. Since reading this book I have read other books on Swing (Java Swing by O'Reilly for instance), and I have found that most of them seem to go into a lot more detail than this book. Another thing that I would have liked to have seen in this book would have been more emphasis on different design paradigms (MVC, model-delegate, etc). Design was mentioned, but not as deeply as I was looking for. Overall though, I suppose that it can be difficult to get just the right mix of UI design and API coverage.



2. Professional Java Custom UI Components takes the reader through a planning, design, and implementation philosophy for creating custom user interface components. Hints and tips are discussed, giving important insight for creating components. The authors concentrated on the basic principles of design without creating another reference book. Also, rather than laying out all the nitty gritty code detail, the most interesting portions are highlighted and discussed. A handful of custom components are built to demonstrate these principles. Both the source code and documentation can be downloaded from WROX, and are copyrighted by Krutsch Associates, Inc.

   The book tour starts with a discussion of the user interface design, the importance of a good interface that is intuitive to use, and the attention to detail required for a UI component. The authors take the reader through the planning and implementation of a toggle switch and LED component, implementing the event model, specifying the parent container interaction, and rendering strategy. Many tips are provided so that the reader may avoid common pit falls. More complex components are discussed and implemented.

   The book ends with an overall software development process and component maintenance. Until this point, the focus has been the "how" of building custom components, now the discussion shifts into a larger context. The authors stress the importance of both before and after the initial implementation.

   I recommend reading this book for anyone designing and implementing custom UI components. (September 2001)




3. When developing client Java applets there is a problem which has no simple solution. The majority of browser installations support Java 1.1 only. If you intend to use Swing you will often have to force the user to download and install the upgrade. This can lose clients because it's too difficult, or limit the user base because 1.2 is unavailable for their platform, etc. In addition, Swing can run quite slow on older hardware. A large part of this book deals with providing equivalent functionality using AWT alone.
   This book covers the design and implementation of several components using AWT and then covers what you would do given access to Swing. In the end you have several components that give a good foundation to an alternative library to Swing. You could use the design concepts in this book to develop your own complete library to use when Swing isn't available.
   One thing to note when comparing the components in the book to Swing is that Swing was developed in a non-production environment. In a way they had to invent the problems and then create the solution. This code was developed as a result of real problems. As a byproduct the components run very fast compared to regular Swing components.
   The chapter on UI design (Chapter 2) is a must for any developer. It details common UI design mistakes that developers make and give practical solutions. I would suggest requiring developers to read this chapter before allowing them to do any UI development of any kind (note I didn't say UI design - I recommend that you don't allow developers to DESIGN UI at all). The chapter on code maintenance (Chapter 11) is very useful and is a skill that many developers lack. Again, this could be required reading for developers.
   There are several things about this book that make unique from any other book I've read. The code base is the result of a real, shipping system (used by StorageTek). It's the result of a real, organic development cycle that is also well tested. The code isn't small snippets that were hand built for the book, thus forgetting the interaction with a full application. The code is a full product standing on its own.
   The code and topic is advanced and is not for beginning programmers (the name of the book is PROFESSIONAL Java Custom UI components). Bring your thinking cap.



4. This book provides an introduction to creating custom UI components using Java. First there's a guide to effective user interface design, including what to avoid, including examples of real software.

   The book then goes through several example of custom UI components. The examples are done with the AWT instead of using Swing for better portability of the code. In the examples, the authors emphasis design principles along with the actual code. The examples are advanced and are written for experienced programmers. The authors then go through the design and development of the example, which is very helpful to understand their design consideration in coding the example. The book ends with an overall software development process and component maintenance.

   This book is for Java developers seeking a detailed introduction to designing and implementing custom user-interface components and frameworks. After the user interface guide in the beginning, this book is a tutorial by example. I would recommend the book to anyone who needs to create a user interface beyond the components offered by the standard toolkit.

1 comments about Web Designer's Guide to Front Page 97.

1. Those of us who have Microsoft Frontpage 1.0 for Macintosh NEED this book. The Microsoft manual that comes with the CD is one of the least-informative books I have ever read in my life. Trying to find help using this program has been even worse. Anyone who needs help with Frontpage for Macintosh version 1.0 needs this book. It may the be the only help they can get! It gives great examples and figures to follow as well as being easy to read. You will find yourself immediately able to apply the information you come across. You will save yourself a lot of time and headaches!

5 comments about Java Programming: The Easy Way (Easy Way Way Series).

1. The beginning of the book is a good intro for those who have never, ever programmed before, but it steadily loses value after that. By the time you get to windows programming with AWT (halfway through the book) the author has apparently lost interest in instructing on the subject of Java and decided to do many other, irrelevant things instead (he prefers to discuss algebraic equations, code generators, and "outline code" rather than how to create buttons and other controls and setup their actions in response to events. He uses his code generator to gloss over these details to free up room for his own meandering babble). Get another book or use the free instructional material at Sun Microsystems' java.sun.com website.



2. I am taking computer science at university. Because it was my first time to program in Java, it was very hard to understand the subject and was very confusing. The textbook didnt help me either because it was written very hard. After I read this book, everything became so clear and I got so muvch confident in programing in java. I really think this book can help someone who doesn't have background in computer programing.



3. This book is a great choice for someone who doesn't have any education on programming at all.
   It begins by covering very basic concepts of Java/object-oriented programming well and then extends into several different aspects of the Java language to show how to create simple programs that use text/fonts, various GUI/windows, file storage/retrieval, audio and graphics capabilities. The original included CD is out of date now (2003), but none of it is required to use the book examples and the current JDK is available for free on the web anyway.
   There are very few Java books that a total beginner can pick up and learn from; this is one of them.



4. Book was helpful for helping me to understand a few concepts. But instead of showing you new concepts by starting small and building, the author thought it would be best for learning to give 2-3 pages of code to interpret for each lesson, and afterwards saying (ok that was this, that did that). Hey buddy, most of us can't compile 2 pages in our head, not to mention even look at it all and soak it up. Don't buy this, instead get something else. (Def. not text book worthy)



5. For the price this book is great! Some aspects of the book are beyond a beginning java programmer's range but fundamentally it is an excellent examination of Java for anyone who is taking a college course in programming.
   
   -LG

2 comments about Classical and Quantum Computing: with C++ and Java Simulations.

1. The topics discussed are quite advanced. Typically these are covered in very theoretical books, that describe high level abstractions, with little in the way of code for the reader to experiment with. Hardy offers a different approach. There is still an advanced treatment of the topics. Where these range from cryptography to genetic methods to quantum computing and others.
   
   But he gives you C++ and Java code, to simulate various systems. A great benefit in aiding your understanding of what are often research level matters. In which case, if you are a new researcher, like a grad student perhaps, then you might be able to get up to speed quicker.



2. This book is easy to read, and easy to follow with a wealth of information and hands on exaqmples that put you in the context in the right manner leading you to a better understanding of the subject matter. The author goes all the way from classical computing and its digital logic to the quantum computing world with examples in C++ that help concieve the inherent massive parallelism of Quantum Computers.
   
   Comparing this title against others, this does stand out as a favorite for me. The ability of the authers to start from the classical and drive the reader to the quantum world flawlessly truely stands out; especially with C++ simulations described in the book. Two thumbs up indeed.