5 comments about Core Security Patterns: Best Practices and Strategies for J2EE( Web Services, and Identity Management (Sun Core Series).

1. This is a great book - by far the best security design book for Java and J2EE (including Java SE 6 and Java EE 5) I have read to date. When I first heard about my coworkers talking about this book, I thought "oh great, another J2EE book!" Much to my surprise, this book is not just a how-to security API or patterns recipe book but much more than that - I see it as a collection of valuable suggestions and examples on how to choose security mechanisms and use them in J2EE applications and web services. Moreover, it tells you what the bestpractices, pitfalls and tradeoffs are for each design pattern option you take. Particularly, You will find this book as an ideal companion for CORE J2EE PATTERNS - Deepak Alur et al, which is my favorite for designing J2EE applications.
   
   This book is as close to size of a pillow and I do understand why the authors gave only code snippets for selected examples instead of full implementation. The case study is just right, it discusses the scenario and how to incorporate the patterns right in to the application design..which is just right for a Java developer who is involved with Java enterprise applications and web services. The best practices and security checklist detailed in this book - helps a lot during development and when you want to deploy a J2EE application/web service in production.
   
   Having said that, I prefer this book as a must-have for any serious Java developer/designer/architect who wants to build Security from understanding basics of WHAT and know WHY you should architect your J2EE system in a particular way using best practices (a long list) and not just HOW. Ultimately you will find this book as an onestop reference for building security in J2EE applications and web services.



2. I prefer to be short.This book met my expectations. It is a good overview on latest the security designs. It doesn't go into the unnecessary details. It gave me some good ideas on my latest security system implementation.I used it a lot when I was writing my solution architecture design document.



3. Our book discussion group selected this book to review. Unfortunately after a couple months we agreed the value of this book was not sufficient to continue reading and discussing it. (We gave up in Chapter 9 - after skipping chapters 5, 6 and 7 because too many of the group were losing patience and wanted to get deeper into the book where we might find something of value.)
   
   Many interesting subjects are touched on, but nothing has enough depth to be of serious value. This is further hampered by poor writing and editing. There is a fair amount of "duplication" in this book where the same "nothing" is sometimes repeated. The code snippets are weak and not of much value.
   
   The bottom line is that while the subject is very interesting, the presentation in this book is so poor that it doesn't justify reading 1000+ dull pages. This book doesn't seem to have a target audience, it's too high level for developers, but gets into too low level details for management. It fails to be a good technical reference and at the same time fails as a concise overview to educate management decision makers. (Hint for authors: if your audience is management, keep it brief and to the point, management doesn't have time to read page after page of trivial commentary. If your audience is developers, the book needs to deliver solid technical information.)



4. This is a very comprehensive, well written and well-organized guide for securing Java and J2EE. Yes, it has everything - all done well - definitely worth a buy. If you are into Java based applications development and planning to work on application security assessment, development, testing ....and planning to live by it every day, you will learn a lot from this book, to re-evaluate the things with patterns and best-practices, and to genuinely improve your results knowing the pitfalls. If you are a Java applications developer, this book *will* help you guide with Java security mechanisms and where and apply them for building secure applications. If you are a security enthusiast, you will genuinely enjoy the time spent with this book, and you will find this brick handy more often than previously imagined.
   
   I strongly recommend this book for budding and experienced Java developers/architects who are involved with Java applications development, J2EE based web applications and web services. This book covers security mechanisms including Java 6 and Java EE5.



5. This is a great book - by far the best security design book for Java and J2EE I have read to date. When I first heard about my coworkers talking about this book, I thought "oh great, another J2EE book!" Much to my surprise, this book is not just a how-to security API or patterns recipe book but much more than that - I see it as a collection of valuable suggestions and examples on how to choose security mechanisms and use them in J2EE applications and web services. Moreover, it tells you what the bestpractices, pitfalls and tradeoffs are for each design pattern option you take. Particularly, You will find this book as an ideal companion for CORE J2EE PATTERNS - Deepak Alur et al, which is my favorite for designing J2EE applications.
   
   This book is as close to size of a pillow and I do understand why the authors gave only code snippets for selected examples instead of full implementation. The case study is just right, it discusses the scenario and how to incorporate the patterns right in to the application design..which is just right for an experienced developer but a budding developer may find it uncomfortable.
   
   Having said that, I prefer this book as a must-have for any serious J2EE developer/designer/architect who wants to build Security from understanding basics of WHAT and know WHY you should architect your J2EE system in a particular way and not just HOW. Ultimately you will find this book as an onestop reference for building security in J2EE applications.

No comments about The Definitive Guide to SOA: Oracle® Service Bus, Second Edition (The Definitive Guide).

No comments about JBoss in Action: Configuring the JBoss Application Server.

5 comments about Maximum Lego NXT: Building Robots with Java Brains.

1. Got this book for our 12-year-old. Too difficult. Good for those who have studied computer programming.



2. This NXT Java book was useless starting from page 3 on. SEVERAL issues with inaccurate LEJOS directions (installations and even programs). I have a good background in Java (BCIS) and that helps me a ton. Look at variant press and see the errata for this book!!! It is so small that PROVES the author is the only one to blame for this P.O.S. book. You would serve better to simply go to some online sites (.edu) and get the real directions for installing LeJos on your NXT and then look at the sample programs found in the LeJos API documentation (the API sux too but the sample programs are mostly bug free).
   
   
   And the building instructions are almost illegible due to poor print quality. I have used NXT's for about 3 years and it took me quite a bit of time to figure out what parts this guy was using. At least one of his labs are proof of his inability (think it was later in the book) when he mentions something about the project he is proposing doesnt work but maybe you can get it to.
   
   
   Brian B. You need to be a weather man, you are about as reliable!
   
   Bottom line...dont waste your money, Id give you mine for free if it werent in the garbage.



3. Despite the nasty reviews surrounding this book, I strongly dis-agree. I thought this book was extremely helpful. I am a java programmer but my work is in the data integration area. This book really helped me to step out of the box and start programming movement between motors,sensors,etc. I enjoy all of Brian's writings, blogs, books, etc. You won't find a better book about programming NXT bricks with Java. And who expects a 12 year old to pick up this book and understand? It's a book most suitable for experienced java programmers.



4. If you are one of those Java guys, hands on, and a mechanical control lover, this is a book you don't want to miss.
   
   From programming point of view, some very useful topics are Bluetooth setup (both Window and Linux), Serial Communication setup, Vision detection, and Voice Control. You will be amazed of how you can realize those technologies into controlling an NXT.
   
   There are still many other interesting subjects from machanical/control point of view. This includes using GPS receiver(where you can learn NMEA Data format). It also shows you a NXT versioned Rocker-Bogie for rough terrain (I was really amaized how it works once I built a prototype). There is one special section to show you how to build a differencial gear using standard NXT parts. This really comes handy for a new Lego user who do not have an old differencial gear.
   
   This book also includes quite some attractive design like R2me2 (resemble R2D2), Moon Buggy, Beckhambot, Mapping Robot, and number 0.5 (resembles number 5). I do like their 'abstract' concept of the design.
   
   However, there are also negative part about this book.
   1. Some photo pictures is not very clear to follow. Either too small or too dark to see the details.
   2. Some mechanical design does not make it turn well (like Mapping Robot). But I guess this is due to lack of proper parts (such as differencial gear which was not included in the NXT package).



5. Although the book sounds otherwise, it is in fact a good start for advanced programmers. A lot of the code does not work right out of the box, but provides a good starting point for advanced programmers to build on. If you are a beginning java programmer, this book probably is not for you because it deals with concepts that are incomplete as described in the book, but an intermediate-to-advanced programmer can take these concepts and modify them as need be and quickly make easy projects more advanced. Overall, I think this is an excellent book but should be used by individuals with experience in programming in contemporary languages.

2 comments about Pro Java 6 3D Game Development: Java 3D, JOGL, JInput and JOAL APIs (Expert's Voice in Java).

1. There is some overlap between this book and the author's other book on Java game programming, "Killer Game Programming in Java", but overall there is enough new material to make it a worthwhile purchase. The author starts out trying to explain Java3D. His explanations are OK, but the best explanation I have ever found as an overview of the API is "Java 3D API Tutorial" on the Sun Microsystems website. It's old, but the basics haven't changed. For the specifics of working with Java 3D in the modern era, come back to this book. The author has done a good job of putting together some programming examples that show how to program in current versions of Java 3D including a 3D version of Conway's game of life. He then modifies the program to show off some of the features of Java 6 such as its ability to communicate with scripting languages. Further chapters show how to build creatures with operational limbs that demonstrate Java 3D's TransformGroups, how to handle physics and Java3D using a specific physics API, multitexturing for more natural looking outdoor scenes, and finally how to deal with level of detail problems using mixed mode rendering. In each case, the author just doesn't talk about how to do something, he produces working code that gets the job done and provides a blueprint for the reader to go further.
   
   The section on non-standard input devices deals with interfacing devices such as webcams, game controllers, game pads, and the P5 Virtual Reality Glove to your 3D worlds and games. He mentions parts of Java that are seldom well-explained such as JInput to describe how to control these devices. In the section on webcams, the author talks about JMF and an alternative method of interfacing to cameras. This is good, since for all intents and purposes JMF is really a dead API with very little useful capability. One of the more interesting chapters in this section really has nothing to do with input devices, that being the chapter on JOAL, which is a wrapper around OpenAL, the OpenAudio Library. This is very practical since there are bugs in Java 3D's sound interface that have been there from the beginning and show no sign of being resolved. This chapter provides a practical way for Java programmers to get actual reliable 3D sound into their games and applications.
   
   The final section of the book is on JOGL, which is a Java wrapper for the OpenGL graphics library. The author explains and illustrates the use of JOGL by first implementing a very simple application to clearly illustrate all of the steps needed. Next, a 3D world is written using JOGL that includes a floor with a checkerboard pattern, an orbiting earth, a skybox of stars, a billboard that shows a tree, overlays, and keyboard navigation.
   
   This book, along with the Sun tutorial, is a good education in how to use the Java 3D API in general, and also how to build virtual worlds in Java as well as how to write 3D Java games, which was the book's original purpose. Highly recommended.



2. If you are new to 3D programming in Java then this book is not a very good place to start. That's not to say this isn't a good book its just that you will need to be somewhat comfortable with Java3D before reading this book. Like the previous reviewer said the sun tutorials will help to understanding the examples used in this book, just don't think that this book will hold your hand.

5 comments about JavaScript: Your Visual Blueprint for Building Dynamic Web Pages, 2nd Edition.

1. Updated:
   The publisher has now provided me with a corrected copy so I would like to update on my negative remarks made previously. This an excellent book for beginning JavaScript programmers and it also makes a good reference (or cookbook) for experienced programmers. If you need a jumpstart into the world of clientside scripting this is the book I recommend. Give it 5 stars now.
   
   
   [Old review: I have just received this book in its first printing of the 2nd edition.
   Unfortunately the publishers have let the author down badly.
   This book would have rated 5 stars from me if it did not contain bad printing errors which cause most of example code in the diagrams to be invisible.
   Hold off on this one until the next corrected printing.]



2. I bought this book and it had some printing errors, but I contacted the publisher and got a new copy overnight. They have fixed the problem since so I don't believe you will find the same issue. If you like learning step-by-step, this is the book for you. Easy to follow and great for some new to Javascript. The book is well organized and explaines javascript concepts in quick concise explainations. All of the examples are easy to follow and focus on one topic at a time.



3. Please note that the printing issue has been fixed in all available product. Any future books shipped will have correct text and code.
   Thank you.



4. This is a decent book on JavaScript. The format consists of a detailed explanation of a concept or technique then example code. It's filled with many useful examples both large and small. This book has a lot of good information and probably could have benefited from being a bit longer. Many areas were covered including event handling, debugging and objects. There was also a great chapter on cascading style sheets (Probably just a setup for the next chapter on DHTML).
   
   The code is displayed using screens shots of the code in a notepad window on the author's computer. At times it was difficult getting the whole picture of the code across multiple screen shots. It was sometimes difficult reading and typing code from these screen shots as well. I had a lot of errors because I couldn't tell the difference between a single and double quote or between a comma and period. This was more of a problem with the lengthier scripts. Also, the order of the chapters wasn't very helpful either since many concepts were used in early chapters but not explained until a later chapter.
   
   This book is definitely more of a reference than a book on actually teaching the fundamentals of the language. Though as a reference it has far fewer pages compared to a code bible or cookbook. It's probably better for someone who wants to cut and paste code or is already fairly fluent in another programming/scripting language.



5. As someone else noted, the examples are in tiny type.
   
   More seriously, I found the examples to be hard to follow because of overly-similar variable names and unnecessary complexity. Often tries to show several concepts combined in one long example instead of one short example for each.
   
   Good concept but trying to cram too much material into too few pages.

5 comments about SCJA Sun Certified Java Associate Exam Questions Guide by Cameron McKenzie Passing Exam CX-310-019 (Scja Series).

1. I used this book and the SCJA guide SCJA Sun Certified Java Associate Study Guide for Test CX-310-019, 2nd Edition - Incredible Update to the former ExamScam Book from the same publisher. To pass, the study guide will get you there, but if you want a really high score on the exam, I suggest you pick up this book as well. It's got over 350 exam questions - like writing the SCJA exam 7 times before you actually take the test. You can't get much more prepared than that.



2. The practise tests are thorough and the author explains the answers in detail. Its good to have if you already know java programming and you want to prepare for the SCJA test.



3. The book seems larger on the web, don't let the photos trick you into thinking you are getting a huge book for the price. Although, the book seems to cover all the material and at close to 400 pages is probably a good deal. After all, there isn't much out there on this subject available on public sites...(check with the school bookstores, but i dont think many people have spent much time writing textbooks on this subject)maybe thats why the publisher charges so much for a book thats only 8.5 x 5.5 inches!



4. If you want a high score on the exam, start going through this book about a week before your exam date. When you write, make sure you can answer all the questions correctly and you know why certain answers are right, and why certain answers are wrong. The book provides all of thet information so it help you learn all of the really important things that might trip you up on the exam.



5. This book is packed with over 350 questions and thorough answers.
   
   Each exam objective gets hit with about 10-15 different questions, tackling the objective from every angle that is possible.
   
   It's hard to believe that anyone could go through this book, do all the questions, and not come out of the SCJA exam with an incredibly high score.

2 comments about Java: An Eventful Approach.

1. The authors have taken an interestingly different pedagogy to teaching Java to someone totally new to it, or indeed new to any programming language. Most texts on Java start off with describing the simple syntax, like for performing arithmetic, or inputting or outputting a string. These must necessarily be done within at least one class, since Java is very strict about this. But this approach is essentially the same as for earlier non-object oriented languages like C or Fortran. Typically, only later in such a Java text will object oriented discussions arise, or the use of graphics.
   
   The novelty offered in this text is to emphasise from the very first chapter the object oriented nature of Java. This is aided by the use of graphics classes. The authors chose graphics because these give an immediate visual feedback to the student, that is very intuitive. This tight feedback loop can aid understanding or even the interest of the student. The two issues are often related!
   
   Also, they do the student a favour by simplifying what can admittedly be a confusing melange of associated graphics classes, when you attach a Listener to a Java graphics object. Because then you usually need to write a class that implements that Listener interface, even if you won't be using all the methods. All this is needed under Java. But the authors finesse it by providing a class library which they call objectdraw. It lets the student focus on the key graphics ideas without tripping over the boilerplate. Later in the text, it reveals the usual gory details of what normally has to be done. Hopefully, the student will be experienced enough by then to take this in stride.
   
   Another bonus about this book is that through its examples of an Integrated Development Environment, it encourages the student to adopt the free Eclipse. Thus far, Eclipse has been mostly used by experienced Java professionals. But it has very powerful helper facilities. Pushing it down to new programmers may well help them.



2. It's a good book overall. It offers a more practical approach to object-oriented programming. The fun excercises challenged me enough to make me confident in each lesson. However, because it's only a first edition, there were numerous spelling and syntax mistakes. Nonetheless, I learned an incredible amount about Java and have now found a new hobby.

5 comments about Eclipse.

1. This book a a very good start for Eclipse new users in the way that it presents all basic features of Eclipse 3.0. I recommend it to any one.



2. I bought this book and have been making my way through it to teach myself about Eclipse. I did fine for the first five chapters, but after that the trail grows cold because the book is based on Eclipse prior to the 3.0 and later releases. I began having lots of problems because the instructions and screen shots no longer came close to matching what is actually in Eclipse 3.0. So I gave up after chapter five.



3. Time has started to diminish the value of this book. Chapters 6, 7, and 8 deal with building GUIs using the V4ALL Eclipse plugin, which is now classified as Obsolete. Also with Eclipse 3.3 now available (the book focuses on Eclipse 3.0), a new edition of the book is definitely needed.



4. I stumbled onto Eclipse from a very unorthodox path. In my concurrent Java programming unit I continued to have problem in getting students to address all issues of import in their assignments. I thought that I should write a progressive series of programs to address one issue at a time. In class we were relying on command line compilation and execution of the Java programs.
   
   To develop Java programs, I downloaded Eclipse IDE and started to write programs one project for each set of progressed specifications. Soon I had some 10 projects with 10 sets of codes. Eclipse was great, it allowed me to debug and see activities even in multi-threaded execution of programs. However, I wanted to have some transition among my 10 projects to be smooth. I wanted to use consistent interfaces, shared code for classes and comments. I wanted to learn more on refactoring functionality of the IDE. I bought the book to fill this goal.
   
   Have not found much to help my goal but the book has exposed me GUI builder ideas V4ALL. But this project seem to be already gone. SWT was also a new exposure. I have not yet explored it but would it be acceptable replacement for Swing for a university course?
   
   Over all the book is nice and easy introduction to using Eclipse IDE but much of what it introduces can easily be learned from the Eclipse help, tutorials and commonsense. It is time that the author be magnanimous and put the book on Web for all Eclipse beginners to read and adapt the tool. Good book but I am not sure if I can ask my students to spend money on purchasing a copy. An update to reflect the current state of the IDE would also be welcome.



5. I found this book very helpful in navigating through Eclipse. Be sure to check which version of Eclipse you have; there are differences that can lead to confusion for first time users.

No comments about Practical API Design: Confessions of a Java Framework Architect.