5 comments about Simply Java Programming: An Application-Driven(TM) Tutorial Approach.

1. As a compulsive computer programming autodidact, I rate *Simply Java* the best computer language book I have ever read. Java is a hard language to learn. Most books get you bogged down in abstract exercises. *Simply Java* gets you writing practical GUI applications almost immediately. It's worth every penny. I'm going to stop writing this review right now and study another chapter.



2. A wonderfully helpful book. Some of the directions don't work, such as copying key files to hard disk, unless you ignore the autoplay features on the disk. A few of the graphics are confusing as well as directions being a little too vauge. In spite of that, there is enough clear, concise information to let a person of average intelligence work their way throuigh the lessons and learn Java, with or without formal instrution.



3. I have been a mainframe developer for 16 years and very resistant to switch to objected oriented programming. Let me tell you something: "Simply Java Programming" has changed my attitude. For the first time, I finished a compuer book from cover to cover and enjoyed every bit of it!!! I've recommended the book to my colleagues and one of them just purchased the same book yesterday.
   
   What I like most about this book is the practical / tutorial approach which got me interested in the JAVA world.



4. This is a text book such as a high school or junior college might use to support a Java class. There are lots of excercises, the programs come quickly. But the book does a poor job of teaching the basic precepts of Java.



5. I absolutely adored this one. The organization was amazing, the book advanced to each new level in tiny baby steps with the option of a full-blown tutorial in which every step is thoroughly explained and illustrated, many exercises, charts, etc. Highly recommended.

No comments about AJAX: A Beginner's Guide (Beginner's Guide (Osborne Mcgraw Hill)).

5 comments about Beginning Hibernate: From Novice to Professional (Beginning: from Novice to Professional).

1. I found only first 3 chapers are readable in this book. The chapters for Annotation, xml mapping are absolutely unreadabel. I'd like to see more complete examples with some brief explanation.



2. New to Hibernate, I started with the advanced "Java Persistence with Hibernate". It was such a painful experience that I decided to look for a better introduction and chose "Beginning Hibernate". Our two year old project is already using Hibernate, and now I have to deal with it when fixing bugs and/or adding new features. Hibernate has been a huge source of problems on this project because the people who knew how to use it didn't do it right and now have left. Perhaps Hibernate also shares some of the blame as it is a technology that doesn't seem to support quick ramp up (which is a sign of complexity).
   
   Although "Beginning Hibernate" is not perfect, it does introduce concepts in an easy and smooth way which is exactly what I needed. I now feel as if I have the foundation to maintain the existing Hibernate code in our project. I still have ways to grow with this technology, and maybe now with this book under my belt I'll be able to tackle "Java Persistence with Hibernate".
   
   As typical with my experience with Apress, I couldn't find a published errata on-line. This is important with technical books, in my opinion, since this is a precise technology. On the plus side, this book did impress me with their appendix of goodies that are very real-world oriented.
   
   The jury is still out for me if Hibernate is a technology worth using on projects due to all the trouble it brings with it, but what is clear to me is that if you need to get ramped up, do yourself a favor and start with this book. Rating 3.5/5 stars (rounded up).



3. I found this book to be really well organized and methodical, starting with the basics of Hibernate and working up to more complex aspects and features in a gradual, measured fashion. My only prior exposure to a book on Hibernate was Hibernate: A Developer's Notebook; it was short and sweet, and of necessity was kind of lightweight, not sufficient for really getting into Hibernate deeply. I looked at Java Persistence with Hibernate but found it kind of baroque. Although that seems to be the most popular book on the subject, I found its approach not especially conducive to learning the subject matter.
   
   My background is that I am an experienced Java/J2EE programmer with a strong database background. My organization has been making use of Hibernate but others in my group have been the ones really blazing the trails. So I'd been exposed to Hibernate usage, I could "get" a good portion of what's going on under the hood, but I required better and deeper understanding if I wanted to work more intimately with our lower-level "DAO" code.
   
   Most complaints I'm seeing here seem to be saying that this book is not for beginners. First, I would question what kind of "beginners" we are talking about--would a novice Web designer who can use design tools but doesn't know HTML, or a PHP programmer who doesn't know Java or J2EE or enterprise design patterns, find this book useful and readable? I don't think so. So I would have to agree, this is not a book for that kind of "beginner".
   
   But this is an indictment of the title, not of the book itself. This IS a book that starts at the beginning and works its way up to rather advanced stuff in what I thought was a well-organized manner. The material in later chapters requires background and experience with other aspects of Java and database technology, including understanding of annotations, abstract query language concepts, etc.
   
   For a lighter-weight introduction to Hibernate I might recommend Hibernate: A Developer's Notebook, but if you are really looking to get into the trenches and dig deep, I found this book to be excellent. I've been told that other APress books named "Beginning XXXXX" are mis-titled, that the "Beginning" title really isn't appropriate and really doesn't do the book(s) justice. So be aware that these are books that start at the "beginning" but that doesn't mean they're necessarily appropriate for total neophytes in related technologies.



4. Most APress books seem to be well done. Sadly, this book is poorly organized and poorly written. There is only one example program in the book and it does not compile due incorrect instructions and code omissions. You can fix the errors without too much trouble and compile the project, but the example is too simple to use in your work. The rest of the book outlines (without runnable examples) other aspects of the Hibernate api, but a programmer is going to want complete example applications that run in order to get a good feel of how all the parts fit together and work together.
   
   A better choice, if you need to learn the basics of Hibernate is the web tutorial given on the Hibernate web site. The tutorial is free and, unlike the book example, it works! The tutorial on the Hibernate site is well written and clear.



5. This book is a good book on Hibernate, but not for the complete beginner, ss the title suggests.
   
   The book moves quickly into advanced topics, introducing DAOs a little too early for a beginner, as another review has said. I think a total beginner might be frustrated with this book, or so some have complained. I think this book is more focussed on people who are beginning Hibernate, but have a good deal of experience working with other databases or database frameworks.
   
   If you're used Toplink, worked heavily with DAOs, did alot of CMP mapping, or have a good deal of JDBC or database programming experience, then this is the right book for you to pick up in order to jump into Hibernate. It's a perfect fit for that type of professional. For someone a little less familiar with database persistence technologies, Hibernate: A Developer's Notebook, or Hibernate Made Easy: Simplified Data Persistence with Hibernate and JPA (Java Persistence API) Annotations might be a better fit.

5 comments about Just Java(TM) 2 (6th Edition) (Sun Microsystems Press).

1. If you have a background in C++ or other similarly object oriented languages, want to learn Java and get a basic reference resource to keep on your desk, this is definitely a book for you. The first chapters will help you convert your current skills to Java, the rest of the book will help you learn the unique features of Java and demonstrate the use of the Java APIs that are most frequently used to create desktop, network and web applications.



2. I learned Java from an earlier edition of this book, before going on to work at Javasoft at Sun. In the years since, I've worked more and more in managment, and I've returned to this book to use as a refresher, or to catch up on new features. Really, this is a brilliant book, both for learning Java for the first time, and for learning about what's changed in Java since you've last touched it.
   
   I highly recommend this book.



3. This is the first time I wrote a book review. Let me tell you, if you want to spend money on one Java book then this is the one. You won't regret it. Don't make the same mistake I made. I'm a newcomer to Java and I've bought few books on the subject already, and all of them didn't sustain my interest. They are now just collecting dust. But not Just Java.
   
   The author has an uncanny ability to explain things to you in a very engaging, light-hearted and intelligible way making those hard-to-understand concepts sink into you immediately. This I couldn't say the same with some other Java books (especially Wrox's Beginning Java 2 by Horton - horrible, geesh!)
   
   Way to go, Just Java! Glad I stumbled upon you.



4. I bought this book in anticipation of getting some java knowledge than getting into all other technologies and confuse myself. When I saw title "Just Java" I felt there is one book which gives me some Java concepts in the myriad of J2EE books.
   But what I got/saw is completely opposite. I have all the chapters in JDBC, XML , Web Services, Servlets which is not "Just Java".
   Also, I felt the OOPS concepts are explained difficultly.Simple concepts like Inheritance the author made it complex and used some Window or WarningWindow example which not only confusing but also readers wonder whether they have to read that before and come here.
   Concepts on 32 bit, 64 bit explanation. If the author want to commit and tell he shd have said some thing more detailed. But when he is explaining he shd have explained little more detailed.
   I dont suggest this book to who ever are looking for "JUST JAVA"



5. After reading the first several chapters of the book, I know I must make a comment. This book is the BEST introduction to Java. I am a professor
   teaching JAVA programming in a university. I have read at least 20+
   java books. Most of the java books are just cliche and screen dumps that
   make me bored after the first chapter. Not this book! Peter van Linden
   is one the most talented technicle writers I have ever seen. When I read this book, I always have the feeling of "right to the point". Not only did
   he know the language very well, he also possesses the talent of explaining everything very well with very good illustrations.
   
   This may not be the first Java book you want to read if you know nothing about computer language. But it is the great 2nd Java book you need to read. This book will strength and clarify your understanding of JAVA.
   
   If you want to keep a JAVA reference book, buy CORE JAVA 2 instead of this book. Core Java 2 is also a great book and covers all aspects of JAVA programming (more comprehensive than just java 2).

5 comments about Pro Java ME MMAPI: Mobile Media API for Java Micro Edition (Pro).

1. This is an excellent book for those with an interest in creating Multimedia Applications for J2Me Mobile devices.
   
   I would say that the book is split into three sections:
   
   Section 1 (chapters 1 to 3): This section gives detailed information about the architecture of the MMAPI and how it fits within the J2Me platform. There is also has a good "getting started" guide to be found here.
   
   Section 2 (chapters 4 to 8): Deal with how one uses the Player object in all its forms from playing simple tones, to playing back captured and streamed video.
   
   This section was the most useful to me. It provides excellent
   background information about each of the subject areas. An example of this is that it gives a full history of the MIDI standard, and an overview of the protocol itself, before it starts talking about how you write the code to play a midi file in J2Me.
   
   Section 3: (the last chapter) is a case study, providing yet more code examples, and a companion blog site.
   
   The only criticism that I have, is that the book, could have delved into the realms of streaming media a little deeper. The company that I work for, weComm is actively involved in the mobile TV space and I was pivotal in the creation of our application for streaming TV, and therefore I was hoping that this topic would be covered in more detail. That aside, I was very impressed, the subject matter was covered very thoroughly, and I felt guided through the MMAPI as I was reading it.



2. This is a well written book. It's not for beginners but then again you don't have be a J2ME (Java ME) guru to understand it. The writing style is technically clear and straight forward without a lot of personal fluff.
   
   Since MMAPI is a subset of Java ME, the scope of the subject is fairly limited but the author covers it well. The only area I might like more explanation is with respect to DataSource and SourceStream. This is covered briefly at the beginning of the book, but it would be nice to know how to implement a custom protocol.
   
   The biggest problem I have had with the MMAPI is it's inconsistent implementation and the author is quick to acknowledge this. One could probably write a whole chapter about the quirks of various mobile devices.
   
   In conclusion, I doubt you will find another book specifically on MMAPI that has the depth that this one does. I highly recommend this book if you are looking to get your feet wet with the MMAPI.
   
   BTW, I really appreciate the time the editors spent to proof read the text as there are very few errors, if any. It's always frustrating to me when I read a book with a lot of code and spelling errors. That's not the case here. Well done!



3. Pro Java ME MMAPI: Mobile Media API for Java Micro Edition has amazed me. The book is unique as it covers and desmyifies one of the most fragmented and confuse Optional Packages for JME.
   
   I've read more than a dozen books about JME but this is the first book that has really cleared some doubts I had regarding Mobile Media in JME.
   
   I strongly recommend this book if you are developing Multimedia Applications using JME.
   
   Vikram Goyal has done an outstanding job by clarifying and detailing every aspect of MMAPI, discussing the way it has been specified, emphasizing the differences that may occur from one implementation to another and also providing clear, detailed and error free examples that illustrate the aspects being discussed.
   
   Also, the text is very well-written and I've found only 3 typos. Very impressive! Apress is also doing a wonderful job.
   
   Chapter 1 introduces MMAPI and presents its features and requirements as defined by the JCP - Java Community Process, compares MMAPI and the MIDP 2.0 Media subset, where it fits regarding the JME Software stack and at last it lists the manufactures and market players supporting MMAPI.
   Nice introduction!
   
   Chapter 2 explains the MMAPI Architecture, the main high-level interfaces, delivers an introduction to the supported protocols and content types, presents the relevant feature sets and the security issues one must take into consideration. It also details the MIDP 2.0 Media subset so that one can understand what's left out on devices implementing it.
   
   Chapter 3 introduces the reader to MMAPI hands-on programming by explaining two simple MIDlets. It also builds the foundation regarding the overall development process and environment.
   
   Chapter 4 is unique, it details the Media Player lifecycle, its possible states and transitions. It explains each state very thoroughly as well as Player events and how to work with them, even the limitations and issues regarding custom events. I've never read a book covering MMAPI with such a detailed explanation.
   
   Chapter 5 covers all the issues regarding the access of media over networks. It starts with a very clear explanation of Threads in JME as well as the security permissions for media acess over networks. Then it puts it all together in a very clear and easy to follow example.
   
   Chapters 6 and 7 are the best ones in my opinion. Those two chapters do pay the book, definitely.Vikram has been brilliant and desmystified Synthetic Tones and the MIDI protocol. He has remembered me of my of childhood, when I've had musical theory classes as it explains everything music and shows you how that all fits into programming with MMAPI. Those chapters are so complete that they have a lot of tips on how to convert from RTTTL to MMAPI format, the MIDI specification and message format and how to work with MIDI in MMAPI, how to create JTS files and other niceties. Thanks Vikram :)
   
   Chapter 8 explains how to work with Audio and Video, playback, capturing, storing, controlling, mixing, it's everything there. It also describes the details of Media Encodings and Sampled Audio as well as the GUI options for dealing with Video.
   
   Chapter 9 has a very cool Device Blogging application that builds upon all the subjects presented so far and also gives a good example of MVC pattern in JME.
   
   Well, the only criticism I have is regarding the section about Streaming Media and also the Appendix C about the JSR 234 - Advanced Multimedia Supplements. Considering that Vikram has proved he's really a subject matter expert He could have provided better sections about them.
   
   In fact, He has already written an article about Streaming in JME and it's available on his web site (so I forgive him) but AMMS is still to be covered. What about on the second edition of his book? Let's wait and see!
   
   A must have book, absolutely!



4. When I got this book I jumped straight to Chapter 9 viz. "Case Study: Device Blogging". This chapter nicely explains how to write a blogging Midlet for a phone device which includes writing a Blog post, capturing/uploading images to a blog, and capturing/posting audio to a blog. The author explains the MMAPI concepts using the MVC paradigm along with complete source code for client and server side processing of application and interaction logic.
   
   The rest of the book goes deep into the MMAPI architecture and concepts with the help of source code of working applications. The functional Multimedia player example in the 3rd chapter explains the role of various components of MMAPI architecture. A dedicated chapter on Media player lifecycle and events is very helpful in understanding the basic concepts of event handling. The book also covers some of the fundamental concepts behind controlling pitch, tempo, audio mixing with the help of examples.
   
   Chapter 7 is dedicated to the MIDI specification which is very comprehensive and well explained within the context of JavaME framework. Writing a book like this requires a thorough knowledge of both JavaME and the various subtleties of tone, pitch, sequencing, octaves, frequency, audio conversion and their treatment on the device and at the network level. In my opinion the author has done a great job.
   
   All in all this book is a great resource if you are planning to develop the next Mobile video sharing, photo sharing application or your next multi-media player for a Mobile phone.



5. I have a litte doubt and try to solve my problems talking with the writer email showed in the book, but I never received a anwser...

1 comments about Starting Out with Java: Early Objects (3rd Edition).

1. I teach AP Computer Science and recently looked at just about any book I could find for teaching Java. This book may appeal to those that want an early object approach and would like to put off any graphics until much later. This would also be a great book for self-study, as it turned out to be my personal favorite Java book for my own purposes.
   
   Here are some details:
   
   --The book does not rely on any publisher's software package--just the standard Java API (which is good, in my opinion).
   --The book does cover parts of Java not included on the AP test, but you can easily use this as an AP text.
   --Every example is a complete working program--so they can all be modified, altered, etc.
   --Each chapter ends with many review questions and a set of programming challenges.
   --Later in the book there is pretty good coverage of GUIs and Applets.
   
   This book is worth looking into. I haven't decided yet to adopt this book for my AP classes, but I'm close. The writing and presentation in this book appear to be much better than in any book specifically aimed at AP Computer Science classes.

5 comments about Hardcore Java.

1. The book's title is misleading. The book delves into some not-so-well-known aspects of Java. Unfortunately, the author's arrogant tone is distracting. I also don't agree with the word hardcore in the title. All in all, if you've only been working with Java for a few years, then this book will open your eyes.



2. This book disappointed me. The title raised so high expectations. I started very enthusiastically to read the book and ended in wading through quite a mess.
   
   The level of the book is intermediate, certainly not advanced.
   
   The topics and treatment in this book are quite mixed in level and style. A little about the language itself (so I learned happily about the existence of labels in Java), a lot about the API (here I appreciated most the dynamic proxy and the reference package discussion) and even an entire chapter on design (which I did not like at all).
   
   If you want to learn a little more about Java and have already read the top notch "Effective Java", then this book is full of useful suggestions of areas for further exploration.



3. No need to read this book if you already have some experience with Java in a moderate sized project. I could not find any exceptional knowledge and is a little advanced than an entry level book. Book does not live up to its promise.



4. 
   With all the criticism and found errors being correct, junior Java developer absolutely should not ignore this book.
   
   Book is filled up with the good practical techniques and rules of the thumb described in a simple and effective manner. Some techniques, for example use of readResolve method in constant serialization, are explained better and in more practical manner than "Effective Java" does.
   
   Real book's name should be "Practical Java development for beginners"



5. I usually don't participate in these reviews, except to read them, and I wish I'd read some before buying this book. As a hardcore C++ programmer and moderately accomplished Java programmer, the title lead me to believe I would be getting something along the lines of what Myers and Sutter did for C++. I was sadly dissapointed. While there are a few nuggets in the text, it is also filled with errors and bad advice. Proposing not using anonymous inner classes because they're "not mainstream" and "hard to read", and more telling "not object oriented", tells me the author needs to do a more thorough research before writing his next book. Any technique, when abused or misused can produce bad code, however anonymous inner classes is an elegant solution to a particular problem set, and should be encouraged in those areas, not broadly poo-poo'd. Educate to the right uses, not discourage because "I find it hard to read". This was the diatribe in the book that pushed me to write a review. If you get this book for free, and have a high tolerance level, there are one or two things to be taken from it, however if you are a novice Java programmer, seek input from someone senior before buying into many of the bad pieces of software engineering advice offered by this book.

5 comments about The Definitive Guide to Grails (Definitive Guide).

1. Really great book!
   
   It shows not only how fast and easy Web Application development can be on the Java Platform what you may expect as this is the book description but it also shows that Grails perfectly combines quality and productivity. High quality applications need to be easily automated testable. Authors presenting new technologies often forget this point but not Graeme who shows through the whole book how to take care to the quality of your application and even dedicates a special chapter to testing.



2. I'm new to groovy/grails and hoped that the book would help me progress beyond the basic examples. Unfortunately this was not the case, as from about page 160 or so I was unable to keep my version of the bookmark application working (using grails 0.5.6). I even downloaded the source for the book and that would not run either. As a suggestion the book source code should be organized via chapter. In that way it is easier to follow the changes as the application is developed.
   
   Having given this book a low rating, it's clearly going to be a great work once the second edition is published (hopefully shortly after the grails 1.0 release). Generally the text was well written, and very informative, and I'll be buying the second edition when it does come out! As a previous poster noted, how Graeme finds the time to do all that he does is amazing.
   
   As to grails, I think it's got real potential, coupled with AJAX and grails should be a killer app - sorry framework.



3. Today's enterprise Java development is complex, tedious and challenging. In spite of numerous frameworks including Spring framework and HIBERNATE trying to address this complexity and make development simple, the truth is it is not simple. The Java developer community deserves a true framework built on very similar agile development principles that Ruby on Rails was built upon; DRY, Convention over Configuration and Boilerplate Code Generation.
   
   Grails combines the power of Java, Groovy, Spring, HIBERNATE and more under the covers and brings out a true framework that increases your productivity to great levels.
   
   This book clearly explains the concepts. Though some of the material and examples are little old compared to the latest Grails release, it is worth reading this book to understand the concepts. It will change the way you think and build Java applications.
   
   A must read by every Java professional.



4. I picked up Graeme's Grails book while in a Barnes & Noble store recently, while waiting out the evening rush hour in Silicon Valley. I've already been fiddling with Ruby on Rails and like it, and although I'd heard of Grails I instinctively thought it couldn't measure up to RoR as a framework. Wow, was I wrong. Graeme does a very good job in explaining and demonstrating how Grails makes it drop dead simple to whip up simple web apps, while also providing a nice compact intro to Groovy the language. The reason I give the book 5 stars is that Graeme clearly understands the real world of app development, and at a higher level, Graeme and his Grails framework takes us a huge leap closer to the Promised Land of computing: when you want it simple, it's simple with sensible defaults, but when you need or want to dive deeper, Grails lets you do that. I could have used Grails and its seamless on demand integration with Java and custom Java libraries many, many times in the past. The thing I kept wishing, when looking at Zope, Ruby on Rails and friends is for some clean way to tap into all the business logic that organizations have spent a decade investing in, via Java and J2EE development. Grails does that! The book is well paced, and I'm very glad I bought it.



5. Reading the theory and having no intentions to do a real project is fine but when you run the book's single example and it fails at every step and on top of that Grails suggest the >grails update which makes worse as this is the only reference. It could have been a good book but there is a huge jump from basic grails create-app to full scale app. If anybody has the working example, I will appreciate using it.

5 comments about Beginning JBoss® Seam: From Novice to Professional.

1. Don't let this jobfactor happen to you...
   
   1) the HelloWorld example doesn't work. It's very poor and is missing much detail (WAR or EAR? no ant build script? why is the code for interface file missing? why is this entire example not in the code download? no xml file discussion whatsoever like web.xml or faces-config.xml? seam.properties file is required but no discussion in the HelloWorld example) Off to a poor start.
   
   2) The author uses "but I'll cover this later on in the chapter" way too many times. Hard to follow.
   
   3) Not enough details in SEAM and covers JSF and EJB3 too much. The book needed to be a LOT longer to cover the details necessary. There was no coverage on seam-gen. No coverage on best practices.
   
   Save your money and purchase Yuan and Heute's JBOSS SEAM book.
   
   Why didn't Gavin King write a SEAM book? There is a chapter on SEAM in the new Java Persistence with Hibernate book, it's pretty good.



2. I have to admit that I do not write reviews, but this book compelled me to do so. I have read a fair share of computer books in the last fifteen or so years, I'd have to say that this book is one of the worst. Luckily for me, I was familiar with most of the concepts described in it, otherwise, I would be quite lost. This book is on Seam, but the first 100 or so pages are on other technologies. This might be good for some, but I expected to get a Seam book. The number of errors, typos and omissions in this book are innumerable. English is horrible too (has an editor actually read it?). Good percentage of sentences start with "So....". Code examples sometimes list imported classes, and sometimes don't. This makes it very hard to understand where these classes/interfaces/annotations come from. The book is full of statements without a logical path to them. The title says: "From Novice to Professional". Well, this is a bold statement and the the book does not hold up to it. I certainly would not recommend it to a novice, as Seam concepts are not explained well, and would not recommend it to a professional, because it just does not provide answers and does not go deep enough for those trying to dig the Seam. The explanation of a SLSB life cycle and other EJB3 concepts are unintelligible. The only positive thing about this book was time on the market, but as I have read the Michael Yuan's "JBoss Seam" book, online documentation and EJB 3 specification, I'd say that this book was completely useless for me.



3. You wont know if the author is really talking about Seam and EJBs until at least chapter 5.



4. I had high hopes for this book as I like Apress publications, but I was disappointed in this offering. For the record, I am an experienced programmer with years of J2EE (now Java EE) work under my belt. I had not previously used Ejb3 or Jsf when I started reading this book so I did have some catch up to do to fully utilize Seam. I have used hibernate (2 and 3) on several projects and have a pretty decent knowledge of it as well as Ejb, Struts, Tiles, and the Commons Validator. I have witnessed projects using good technology fail and projects using poor technology succeed based on the application of said technology so please direct all flames on these choices to /dev/null.
   
   I found the intro chapters on Jsf and Ejb3 decent and not out of place. The author does qualify those chapters as 'just the basics' so that is not a problem. I did have to use other sources to supplement that info as I had questions not addressed but then again, I was okay with that.
   
   What I did not like was that reading the actual seam content was tedious, laborious, and left me with an empty feeling, but not because the material was that difficult. I felt that some topics were glossed over with the intent of 'covering' without really providing anything useful. Chapters 5,6, and 8 are roughly 105 pages long and constitute the meat of the seam content that I was interested in and it was not enough in my mind to carry it over the finish line.
   
   As some of the other reviewers noted, there are mistakes in this book that could have and should have been caught during the editing phase. Overall, it was lackluster. I recommend that if you are interested in learning about Seam, just check out the online docs. They are organized in a more linear fashion and I found them much better. I have not read the Yuan and Heute book but I would certainly compare that TOC with this book before purchasing 'Beginning JBoss Seam'.
   
   I would welcome a second (and larger) edition with some of the holes filled in that could work in tandem with the online docs. For example, use the booking example (or another example) and explain some aspect of it better than the docs do.



5. As another reviewer commented, this book seriously needs editting. Bad grammar, and odd/confusing turns of phrase. It also doesn't dig deep enough into the details of how Seam gets things done, leaving the reader to assume things were hooked together via magic.
   
   It's also already out of date with the current Seam release.

5 comments about JavaFX Script: Dynamic Java Scripting for Rich Internet/Client-side Applications.

1. If you are looking to have fun with programming, JavaFX is a good place to start. And if you want to learn JavaFX Script, this book can help. The book starts by giving you an overview of JavaFX and its future. Then we get a classic Hello World example which is used to explain declarative programming and how to split up source files and begin binding to a model. Then we get to do some code by example. The main example chosen was a word search program. This gives us a chance to exercise a lot of the features of JavaFX. There is even a section on 2d animation and translation. Throughout the book there are practice problems and challenges to help you exercise your programming muscles. The book also makes a great reference with detailed tables for most of the language features. Overall this is a great introduction to this exciting language. There is a slight learning curve when you get to the Hello World example. I would take it slow after that and make sure you have the foundations of declarative language down. It's just a thought hurdle you have to make, but well worth it in the end.



2. JavaFX is a great tool to leverage the advantages of all the vast Java class libraries and Swing in a declarative but statically typed style. I had come to this conclusion when I first noticed JavaFX through stumbling across a link on Sun's Java web-site and portal.
   
   The one thing that JavaFX lacked was a basic, get up to speed tutorial or book which didn't assume you were a programming dunce, didn't assume that you were somehow clueless about how Swing or SWT (or any modern) user interface library worked.
   
   This book filled the gap for me.
   
   I am a reasonably adept Swing GUI developer, can understand SWT and write it (but can't see any particular advantage to SWT unless you're using a product that already uses it or it's an Eclipse based product) and understand GTK+. Hence, I don't need a lecture on how GUIs work, what an event model is, what a widget is; nor do I need a how to program, what does Java syntax look like.
   
   This book gives you sufficient information to: determine if JavaFX may fit into your GUI needs, how to use JavaFX and Java classes together and how to put together a small, JavaFX application. Others have stated the application isn't real-world: I challenge them - I wrote a "real world" word place program for a client...games aren't "real world" but they contain very real concepts both in their play and in their creation.
   
   The book doesn't: teach you how to program Java or any other programming language; it's a fairly tutorial style book. JavaFX is the type of tool where you can bring up a small(ish) example and fiddle with bits to work out what changes. It doesn't teach you a heap about Swing but gives pointers to Swing documentation where appropriate. Those not used to programming or Swing may find it difficult to translate Swing documentation into what JavaFX does. It will show you how to make classes, but not why you'd make them and it presupposes you know a little about programming.
   
   That said, I do know these things and it was certainly worth my money.
   
   I think this book would suit anyone who wanted to peek at JavaFX to see what a basic, but functional example does. It would also suit someone who knew Java, who wanted to add JavaFX to their toolset. It would be less suitable for someone who didn't know what a "for" or "while" loop does and it doesn't go into great detail about "classes", "class hierarchies" and such.
   
   It's a good book and it augments and isn't, by any means, a regurgitation of online documentation.



3. Maybe I'm just an old entrenched Java programmer, but quite frankly, after reading this book, I just don't get why somebody would want to use JavaFX. First off, you are forced to use Netbeans if you want to program in JavaFX. I don't use Netbeans and I'm not interested in doing so. I don't know many Java programmers who are interested in doing so either. Second, the JavaFX language itself doesn't parallel well with the Java language. Many simple constructs are completely different from what is done in Java. In short, I'm having to learn yet another language. Finally, it just doesn't deliver what I'm looking for - a simpler faster way of writing reliable multimedia applications. Sure you can put up some nice 2D GUIs and displays, but Sun had been promising a Java answer to Flash, or at least the beginnings of one. The problems with pure Java solutions to multimedia - runtime startup time, resource usage, and a lack of complete multimedia solutions including audio, animation, etc. is a problem that has existed since the early days of Java Media Framework and its eventual orphaning by Sun. JavaFX doesn't solve any of these problems or even put a real dent in it.
   
   However, to the author's credit, I learned all of this by reading his book. He doesn't editorialize on the language, but his examples make clear the shortcomings of this new language and therefore prevent you from wasting anymore time than necessary on it. I commend him on that.



4. This book is poorly typeset. The block structure of the code is almost impossible to discern because the indentation varies. APress, there's a reason that code is usually typeset with constant spacing courier fonts. It's much easier to read.
   
   This book has no index rendering it absolutely useless as a reference.
   
   
   I had intended to use JavaFX Script to create simple guis for displaying data. Perhaps, JavaFX Script is capable of doing this, but if it is, you certainly couldn't prove it from this book.



5. I'm starting in the JavaFX world and this book is helping me on this. I'm using some JavaFX tools and the Netbeans JavaFX plugin.
   James L. Weaver is always in the jfx discussion lists and is very accessible. Thanks. :)