5 comments about Mission-Critical Java(TM) Project Management: Business Strategies, Applications, and Development.

1. I picked up a copy of this book this morning, and it has already answered a number of my questions. It's a good tool for showing how your budget, tools and developers can/should impact your decisions about using Java to build applications. Also discusses potential pitfalls and how to avoid them, as well as analysis of time/cost benefits of using Java as opposed to other languages.



2. If you are looking at moving to Java and need answers to your business-related questions, check this book out. You won't be disappointed. From the pitfalls and drawbacks of using Java to developer motivation issues and more, you'll find lots of help here. And, all of which does not say to JAVA-cise NOW, no matter what. Includes several Case Studies, too, if you like that kind of thing.



3. When I first started reading this book, I was impressed, until I got to Chapter 3. This is where the book trickles off to a generalized Java advertisement peppered with good management practices which can be applied to any given development language or integrated development environment (IDE) out there, such as C++, Powerbuilder, VB, Delphi, and newer IDEs such as Visual Interdev, C++ builder and JBuilder, none of which are adequately treated in this book.

   What bothered me in particular was that the copyright is 1999 but the authors elaborate on Java projects managed in 1995-1997. Thus, for the less technologically savvy companies out there giving Java a first look, this book may be useful, but for the rest of us who have, essentially, tackled or are preparing to tackle similar problems, this book serves as a general guide to good Anderson-ish management practice. From this book one may glean tidbits of useful development ideas, such as how to embark on the installation of 3-tier or n-tier Java systems, but there remains a curious, more likely intentional, omission of project management details that matter.

   I expect managers out there to have already addressed similar issues with respect to large-scale development initiatives, specifically, staffing requirements, cross-training of existing personnel, capacity planning (not mentioned), performance metrics (glossed over) and hardware considerations (again glossed over) which seriously determine the success or failure of a Java-based development initiative. None of these are discussed in detail enough to warrant a study of this book.

   The strongest case study found in this book is the largest, albeit dated, system which the authors seemed to have managed first-hand, and which you'll find in Chapter 2. Extensive treatment of Java deficiencies and tackling the learning curve are covered, but may be less applicable to the JDK 1.2 (now officially JDK 2) since many developers have since brought

   themselves up to speed in Java and have engaged in at least minimal cross-training.

   Pros:

   1. Chapter 2 (the project on which the authors apparently worked, thus relevant) 2. Chapter 8 (a noble intro to conversion) 3. Chapter 9 (risk management, developing with an evolving standard - bad idea, but mentioned) 3. Chapter 14 (a good summary of Java performance problems encountered) 4. Good general management advice 5. One of the few books to tackle the subject 6. Specifically mentions Powerbuilder/C++ implementation (surprised to see it) 7. Useful project post-mortems 8. Treatment of cross-training.

   Cons:

   1. The ...but-we-got-it-to-work tone of items 1, 2, 3 above 2. Chapter 3,4,5 (fluffy references to other Java projects lacking sufficient detail) 3. Chapter 6, 7 (Browser compatibility and "Java isn't a fad" pep talk) 4. PR-rich e.g. no pointers, easier than C++, portable, multiplatform, secure, robust 5. Copyright 1999, Case studies: 1995-1997 (using pre JDK 1.1), thus nearly making the book obsolete 6. Utter lack of useful detail or omission such as: a. Analysis of the competition e.g. Microsoft and their implementation of COM/DCOM architecture b. Transaction servers/hardware and scalability of three-tier systems c. Project performance metrics, concurrency testing, bandwidth d. Distributed implementations and related problems e. The reporing deficiencies of Java (after finding a third-party, success!) f. Casting Java's third-party vendor and widgets in such a favorable light g. The emerging CORBA dialects and "factions" which may dilute Java's strength as the preferred distributed language h. The muddling of language vs. and integrated development environment (IDE). VB and PB were meant to remove C++ complexity for developers, but Java, by itself, is still a low-level language NOT a 4GL, thus one might expect at least a brief discussion of vendor selections in this area such as Visual Cafe, Jbuilder, J++, Sun's IDE, but there are few except mention of Unix-based or proprietary, home-grown tools.




4. It's out of date, but captures the spirit of early java, and is a good distraction from the textbooks.



5. This is the worst Java book that I ever had. Even for technical managers this doesn't do any good.
   I sold this book for $3.00 to a used book shop.

No comments about Sun Java Enterprise System 5 Installation Planning Guide.

No comments about Test Item File.

5 comments about Javascript Cookbook.

1. Sometimes I have to wonder if the guys writing these reviews are not related to the author in some way. While I don't know Mr. Cohen, I think his book is very good. He covers all the topics with great detail and the codes examples actually work! However, if you are a new to the concepts of object-oriented programming, then this book can be a tough read. You should really know your HTML before you tackle this one.



2. It is incredible how a book with so many lack of content could have been acclaimed with so many stars. The only strong point of this book, is its clarity of exposition of a considerable amount of vanilla code snippets, making it an ideal reference for introductory elementar courses, or a Dummie's introduction to JavaScript, in direct oposition to the expressed author expectation, of a book suited for a much wider audience. Following is a list of some of its crucial missing content (usually available on many of the alternative references presented at the end of this review). No treatment of debugging techniques specially suited for common JavaScript error depuration. No sections on solution to common problems or frequently asked questions. No treatment of compatibility issues, nor comparative charts between distinct JavaScript versions or manufacturer implementations. No treatment of JavaScript security issues. No script content on useful actual applications like: remote window controls, multiple frame comparative search engine output, appointment calendars, advanced calculators, multimedia playing control interfaces, frame window customization, automated templates for html code generation. No treatment of Server-side JavaScript. Completely outdated Web-Resources appendix, with a inexepressive bunch of links, mostly of knowledge to anyone with a minimal interest on JavaScript. No external collection of scripts or real world applications on CD-ROM, except for the trivial code snippets examples presented on the book. So, to anyone with a bit more than superficial interest on JavaScript, a list of much more valuable references is presented below, in clear contrast to some of the content deficiencies ineherent to the reviewed book. Be aware that O'Reilly is about to release what can be expected to be another of its bestsellers, in a book with the same title of the reviewed one, but with content addressing real useful JavaScript recipes (exactly what this reviewed reference lacks most). Aside from O'Reilly not yet available JavaScript CookBook, one might consider some of those references: JavaScript Annotated Archives, Practical JavaScript Programming, Learn Advanced JavaScript Programming, Netscape Developers Guide to JavaScript 1.2, JavaScript Quick Reference, Instant JavaScript, JavaScript Bible (3rd ed), JavaScript Definitive Guide (3rd ed), JavaScript SourceBook, Drag and Drop CGI.



3. This is not the best reference manual in the world - that's for sure. I'd say i've opened it less than 10 times and turned back to my 'complete idiots guide to javascript' every time to find the answer after my search in this book.

   It just does not seem tailored to help web developers.




4. This is not a book if you are learning JavaScript but the most useful reference book for those of us who need a quick look up. There is not a quick reference if you are yet to explore the world of JavaScript but those who already have you cannot remember everything. The exercises are short and right to the point as this entire book was and so easy to follow. I thought the book was great and I could not survive without it!



5. This book was published in 1997 and unfortunately has aged badly. A newer revision would be required to bring it up to date with more modern standards and web browsers. Chapter 6 is a nice example of the problem: "What's New Since Navigator 2.0".

   I highly recommend the O'Reilly "Javascript & DHTML Cookbook" instead. The O'Reilly book was published in 2003 and is much more relevant to the current world.

5 comments about Applying Enterprise JavaBeans 2.1: Component-Based Development for the J2EE Platform (2nd Edition).

1. As an entry level book to Enterprise Java Beans it was a good book, but nothing special. Currently this book (1st edition) is very much outdated because of the new EJB specs. You would do better buying another EJB book.



2. This new edition of " Applying Enterprise JavaBeans" is a well written look at the Enterprise JavaBeans 2.1 specification. The explanations of the various topics are in-depth and yet easy to follow. The authors provide diagrams and supporting code samples demonstrating how to write the code for each topic covered. They also provide explanations of when a particular technology is appropriate for your applications. The book even has a glossary so that if you forgot what an acronym stands for, you can look it up.

   The book covers all the usual topics one would expect in a book on EJBs. It starts with a general overview and then takes a look at each of the various bean types. Session beans (stateful and stateless), message driven beans, and entity beans are each covered. An application example is discussed which includes packaging of the application for production. The following chapter covers integrating web services into your EJB applications. Subsequent chapters cover transactions and security. The authors have done a great job of explaining not just how to code EJBs but also how they work within an application server, which you need to know to use EJBs successfully.

   The book is similar to the O'Reilly book in size and scope although this book has the advantage of being more current. Overall, the book is well written, easy to follow, and extremely useful. If you are new to EJBs or if you are looking for a book to bring you up to date on the new specification then this book will make a good choice.




3. Several years ago, we tried using EJB 1.0 and were utterly underwhelmed. Despite using what was for its time a high powered computer, our clock cycles and memory seemed to get eaten up somewhere in the container. Searching the web revealed that many others had similar complaints.

   Sun heavily improved the EJB standard in version 2. The Container Managed Persistence was totally rewritten, and Message Driven Beans were introduced because many users wanted loosely coupled asynchronous applications. Things are much better now, and Sun released this book as part of its official documentation set for EJB 2. As usual, it is clearly written and authoritative.

   So the good news is, if you are running EJB 1, you really should jump, and EJB 2 is the logical and easiest destination to get to. If so, you might as well get this book to smooth the transition.

   But there is an alternative which this book completely neglects to mention. In the last 3 years, a rival to EJB has arisen. The open source jBoss. In 2000, I heard its founder, Marc Fleury, claim advantages over EJB 1. Since then, in various newsgroups, it does seem that jBoss is at the very least on a par with EJB 2. And given that the jBoss source is available and free, you should seriously consider migrating to it.

   You see, Sun had very little real choice but to produce EJB 2, and to write a book like this, in part simply to stay competitive with jBoss and other application servers like IBM's Websphere and BEA's Weblogic. Run and run just to stay in place.




4. Now in its second edition updated to take into account changes in the EJB 2.1 specification, Applying Enterprise JavaBeans: Component-Based Development For The J2EE Platform is the collaborative effort of computer experts Vlada Matena, Sanjeev Krishnan, Linda DeMichiel and Beth Stearns, and the latest in "The Java Series" of instructional computer programming books endorsed an authored by the creators of Java technology at Sun Microsystems, Inc. Covering support for Java Web services, security management, message-driven beans and integrating with Java Message Service, transaction management, EJB query language, and much more, Applying Enterprise JavaBeans is a hands-on, example-filled, highly practical and enthusiastically recommended instructional and reference resource.



5. I'm a bit surprised by many of the reviews of this book. Overall, I think it is a fairly solid coverage of EJBs. However, I think it tocuhes on many topics without providing enough depth to make that topic clear and useful. One of the worst examples of this is Chapter 6, entitled Using JMS and Connectors For Communication. The chapter has a rather brief high level coverage of JMS which is too short and sporadic to be terribly useful. Then is jumps to J2EE Connectors which it discusses for one and a half pages. In those 1.5 pages it gives no examples and almost no concrete information about how to use connectors. The most useful thing it says is it tells you another book you can buy to actually learn how to use connectors. Since the chapter is called "Using JMS and Connectors..." I would expect more than 1.5 pages of fluffy coverage of connectors. But at least it told me what book I should have bought instead.
   If you want a high-level view of a lot of topics, without a whole lot of depth, then I think this book is a good choice. If you want a more thorough coverage of EJBs, I'd recommend Head First EJB, Enterprise JavaBeans (O'Reilly Press), or Professional EJB (Wrox Press.)

No comments about Java.

1 comments about Java Api Reference.

1. If you are having a hard time learning Java, this is a good book to start with.

No comments about Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) Application Development.

1 comments about Web Site Wizardry: Master the Creation of Interactive Web Sites That Come Alive.

1. Web Site Wizardry is an invaluable reference for people who need interactive web sites and do not have access to CGI rights on their service providers system. (It also deals with CGI and other server side issues.)

   It took me only five minutes to make the purchase decision regarding Web Site Wizardry--normally I take half an hour to an hour to check out a computer book before buying it. I needed answers to two questions when I bought this book: how to process forms and how to create image maps without CGI rights. Web Site Wizardry answered both.

   Later, when reading through more of the book, I was VERY pleasantly suprised with the tone of the writing. The author instructs the reader on how to apply the programming techniques in a direct yet honest manner. Reading this book is like attending an informal gathering of people where there is a beneficial exchange of information--not like a formal lecture. To further reinforce my positive experience with Web Site Wizardry, the author PROMPTY emailed a detailed answer to a question I sent her.

   Web Site Wizardry answered my immediate questions. It is now providing me with an enjoyable reading experience as I move on to other aspects of interactive Web programming. With computer books being as costly as they are, this is one of the ones to buy.

No comments about System Administration Guide Network Services.