3 comments about Web Services: A Java Developer's Guide Using e-Speak (With CD-ROM).

1. I bought this book because of the hype around web services. I wanted to learn what they were and how they were different from simple web applications (ASP stype). This book really helped me understand what web services or e-services are and how they can be used in a solution. The book also spent a good amount of time explaining architectural nuances that need to be considered when developing a web service solution. For example, what security considerations to make, issues around scalability, service registry technologies. The book takes a solution perspective rather than a technology perspective, I found a lot of value in it regarding how to build web service solutions. The last part of the book discussed the competitive landscape (gave quite some history as well) and also shared thoughts on the evolution of e-speak into the web services platform. A good read if you want a primer on web services, their architecture or the competitive space. I strongly recommend reading this book to get a perspective on web services and the much-hyped value proposition before buying one of the very technical reference guide texts available.



2. First a disclaimer; I am one of the originators of e-speak, the technology described in this book. That means you should question favorable comments I make about the technology. It also means that I appreciate how hard it was to write a book that describes e-speak as clearly as this one does.

   E-speak started at the end of 1995 as a research project at Hewlett-Packard's research division. At that time, there was no such thing as web services, XML was just being defined, and e-commerce was browser-centric. Our goal was to define an infrastructure that hid much of the complexity of developing Internet-based businesses. We succeeded (watch out here), but our solution required thinking about things in a new way. That made explaining e-speak difficult.

   The authors of this book succeed in explaining web services, what e-speak is, why you should use it, and how to use it. Neither too formal nor too whimsical, the presentation strikes the proper balance between presenting facts and explaining concepts, doing both in a very readable fashion.

   The book opens by explaining what web services are and the benefits of developing businesses around them. The book ends with a review of comparable technologies, the competitive landscape, and prognistications about the future. These sections alone are worth the price of the book.

   The bulk of the book is about using e-speak's Java programming interface to develop e-services. (Read the book to see why I didn't say web services.) Rather than present an encyclopedic list of all the features, the authors take the example of a travel service. Each chapter adds a new twist, more functionality or better security, for example. In this way, the reader is led to understand both the benefits each feature provides and the code for using the feature. All the major parts of e-speak are included, but the reader never feels inundated with unnecessary detail.

   If you're interested in web services and how they will affect the way business is done, read the opening and closing chapters. If you'd like to build an e-service, this book gives you a jump start. Most importantly, this book will give you an understanding of the concepts, something that is more important to success than just learning the technology.




3. It was a great experience , learning from this book. All the technicalities have been explained in simple language. Content is highly practical for new learners as well as advanced programmers.

No comments about Java 2. J2se 1.4 (Programacion).

4 comments about Javascript Essentials.

1. Poorly written and badly organized. A vociferous NO for beginners and almost useless for anyone with some experience



2. I used this book and made awsome homepage in the net. I am 12 and think this book rocks!!!



3. I concur with the author's assessment of Darkwynd comments. While this book does not attempt to compete with the reference tome written by David Flanagan, it is exceptionally well written with a highly consistent style. Of particular value, it seems that all of the examples are self explanatory. If you get lost in in a particular place, you can still learn something from the next chapter. Also, many technical books suffer from the "casting pearls of wisdom" syndrome, where it is apparent that the author is being influenced by his new fame. This does not appear to be the case with Mr. Manger. Good work !



4. This is the one and only book that I've ever used for JavaScript. It carefully explains all concepts in a method that is excellent for both experienced programmers as well as beginners. Highly recommended!

5 comments about Java 1.2 Unleashed.

1. If you've never programmed in Java before, skip this one. The books says you have the necessary background for this book if you've coded in C/C++, but you need a firm grasp of AWT and 1.1 classes before using this book.

   This is evident no sooner than chapter 3 which discusses Java 1.2's extended security model. This is an important topic worthy of discussion, but not between introducing 1.2 API's and applet programming.

   No depth as mentioned in the above reviews. Only worth your time as a reference, maybe.




2. Beginners don't try out this. if you have some exp. go for this.



3. I found this book to be an excellent book, despite others reviews. Definitely not for beginners, but a good read for anyone with some programming experience. What others have interpreted as lack of support for those with less experience in the language, I have noticed tends to be simply badly ordered chapters - There are some more advanced discussions at the beginning, and some introductory chapters later on...



4. This book has examples that are show bad object-oriented design. Also, the code isn't commented.

   However, it covers a fair amount of ground. If you know OO and just want info on Java 1.2 then it is okay.




5. It's fun to read all the other reviews ;) I agree that this book is not for beginners who want to learn object orientation. But the fact is that many books are all the same. They start with a nice little example that everyone knows: class Hello{ public static void main(String[] args){ System.out.println("Hello world"); }} I think Jamie does a superb job. And for you beginners: This is a book with alot of code examples, such as the Black Jack Game! And I can tell you the code is well structured and follows an appropriate code standard. There are many nice exaples, like the complete HTTP Web Server, etc.

   So if you know something about programming, and if you want to explore some interesting things in Java, this book IS very nice.

   There are comments enough in this book for you people who at least have a clue about programming! Writing complete Javadoc for a book?? Who would do that, the book would end up with too many pages... This book is heavy enough and I really recommend it for interesting readers.

No comments about Visualage for Java Enterprise Version 2 Team Support.

2 comments about Fast Track to Sun Certified Java Programmer (SCJP) 5.0 Upgrade Exam.

1. The first thing that struck me when I received this book was how thin it is, second by it's large fonts and generous amounts of white space.
   
   I was expecting the book to come with several practice exams, and maybe even a CD-ROM. Neither was the case. At the end of each chapter the book has several review questions, and one or two 'mock exam' questions.
   
   The really irritating thing was the number for the questions and answers never match. I can't believe the author and publisher could be so careless to not even notice the numbers don't match the questions. Did they not have one person proof read the book?
   
   I'm quite disappointed in the book, especially given it's cost.



2. I was very displeased with this book. It is filled with grammatical errors, and it lacks fluidity and proper writing. Perhaps the writer should read other exam review books first.

5 comments about Objects Have Class!.

1. Pros:
   Text isn't too hard on the eyes.
   Interesting title.

   Cons:
   Everything else

   Summary:
   It's a mishmash of actual programming concepts surrounded by total and absolute junk, but it might be good for people who think programming is a doing lines of cocaine until you pass out.




2. Let me start by saying I'm not a fan of CS. Yet to be quite honest even if I was, I would NEVER have bought this poor excuse for a textbook. Unfortunately, "good old" Michigan Tech FORCES every one taking Pop's class to use this "book". If you don't have to buy it, don't!! It degrades its readers, which is quite a feat when one considers the text itself is hard to read due to the fact that its poorly organized! Its like he taking to someone with the IQ of an insect. Avoid it, it isn't worth the $90+, hell it's not worth the paper its printed on......



3. First of all I am a EE major and not a CS major. That being out of the way this book is more or less useless. True, it does introduce you to Animator and some programming. However, what it does NOT do is help with learning JAVA. I myself understand what I need my program to do but am frustrated by how to do just that on some of his assignments and his exams. If you are not required to purchase this book don't otherwise if you are well there is not much I can say. In addition, a book that I have found that may be useful is Beginning Java Objects. Other reviewers have made suggestions of titles that are more useful then this one. If you are a nonprogrammer it is worth your while to invest in one of the books mentioned by me or the other reviewers. Hell, the tutors make it easier to understand JAVA then this "book" does.



4. If I could sum up this book in one word, it would have to be WOW! And I don't mean "Wow, what a fantasic book!!", but rather "Wow!! This book is absolutely no help to me what-so-ever!"

   As others have stated, this book is poorly written. It teaches down to you. How is that supposed to make you want to learn Java? Also, what's the deal with this 'animator'? Poplawski makes his little program (an applet actually) sound like God's gift to beginning Java. It's not! You're never going to use it ever again after you use the book, but he still insists on you learning commands for it! Why? Clearly, Poplawski doesn't have a clue on how to teach Java (A fact he backs back quite well during his lectures, should you have the displeasure of attending one).

   Do not buy this. You can get much better references and instruction manuals than this. Better yet, you can get many of these other guides for cheaper than this.




5. I'll try to keep short. Pop's book is not worth buying if you want to learn Java. Why? Well let's look at the pros and cons of this book

   Pros
   -Easy to read (Text is decent sized, organization makes some sense)
   -You can learn from the book (Not much, but....)

   Cons
   -Talks down to you (If your using the book, you're probably in college and aren't not a child)
   -Animator (When will you use this out of class? Never!)
   -Hard to read (Organization can also be bad at times. For example, Pop sometimes cuts sections of text in half with a few pages of code)
   -Pop doesn't write code in a convenetional sense. He has his own 'unique' style. This seems to throw some people for a loop.
   -You don't learn that much from the book

   So would a recommend that someone should buy this book? No, there are better one's out there such as "Beginning Java Objects: From Concepts to Code".

No comments about Web Enabled Commercial Application Development using HTML, JAVA SCRIPT.

2 comments about Conducting the Webmaster Job Interview: IT Manager Guide with Javascript, Java Applets, Front Page, Flash, Perl, PHP+, and DreamWeaver Interview Questions (IT Job Interview series).

1. First off, let me state that I'm sleeping with the author. We have been married for many years, and I feel obligated to toss-in my opinion of her book! (guys, you know where I'm coming from).
   
   I don't much at-all about specific programmer languages like Flash and Perl, but I was able to ask the sample questions to job candidates, and they worked very well.
   
   Janet put a great-deal of effort into gathering salient job questions for this book, and I think that she has done an excellent job in condensing the main qualifications that employer's desire in a successful programmer.



2. This book is riddled with typographical, grammatical, and factual errors. It also manages to contradict itself in several places.
   
   Don't buy this book.

1 comments about Fundamentals of Java Programming Engineering Journal and Workbook (Cisco Networking Academy Program) (Engineering Journal and Workbook).

1. The best material that can be used in preparing for a certification exam is that which forces you to think about the subject in ways that you have not considered before. I have been teaching Java programming for nearly ten years and there were many questions in this book that really forced me to think hard about the language before I answered them. While it is certainly possible to answer most of them after due consideration, there were some where the topic had never crossed my mind. My favorite in that category is on page 98, where the question involves the legality of having more than one static initializer in a class. A close second was one concerning the order that listeners are called when there is more than one assigned to a component.
   Each section begins with a very short summary of the topic, followed by a set of concept questions where the expectation is that the reader write a short essay answer. This is followed by a set of vocabulary exercises, where the reader is to write the definition of the word or phrase. There is a section called the challenge lab section, which contains problems where the solution is to be coded, and then a section of focus questions. While they have a multiple choice format, more than one answer is possible and the differences between the answers can be quite subtle. Most of them are code analysis problems, where you are to identify either what is wrong with the code or what it will produce when run.
   In reading this book and trying some of the examples, I learned more about the basics of Java than I have in reading any other book in the last five years. It is an excellent way to prepare for certification exams, the coverage of the basics of Java is complete, provided you think hard enough about the problems. If you solve all the problems in this book, you will be ready for almost anything.