5 comments about SCJA - Sun Certified Java Associate Certification Study Guide for Java 5, J2EE and J2ME Technology from ExamScam.com - The Pre SCJP, Programmers Certification.

1. Iam new to java. I studied this book and became from zero to SCJA certified and it's more than enough to become certified in SCJA even with zero experience in Java. It's so informative and exam oriented book which made the exam easy. Author Cameron explained the concepts, exam objectives in a very simple, interesting manner such that we can grasp and remember the concepts easily even with little knowledge in Java. The great thing about this book is even complex J2EE objectives were framed in a simple manner so that a beginner can able to understand and get good scores. All question models for the exam were covered in the book. With the experience of this exam I would like to suggest that, This the best book to buy for SCJA exam and newcomers of Java should write this SCJA exam to get overview of complete java like what is java? What are the different technologies present in java? Where we use these java technologies? and basics of java.
   It's the unique exam guide I ever suggest.
   My Best wishes for all those who are going to take SCJA exam!!!



2. I wrote a review for the Question book by the same author, SCJA Sun Certified Java Associate Exam Questions Guide by Cameron McKenzie Passing Exam CX-310-019so for more detail about why I wrote the SCJA exam, and what I thought about it, check my review there.
   
   As for this book, it totally delivered to me what I needed to know to pass the exam. I had a bit of programming knowledge, but very little OOA and OOD knowledge. I also came from a C background, and my knowledge of Java related technologies, such as JSPs and J2EE, was nil. This book did the best job at helping you understand the big picture of Java, along with explaining the intricacies of OOA and OOD with Java. Actually, this had probalby the best overview of object oriented analysis and design that I've ever read. I highly recommend it, even if you're not taking the exam.
   
   I might improve the Java syntax section. The book doesn't go overly in depth into Java coding, although neither does the exam, so I guess it makes sense.
   
   Otherwise, this was a great book about Java, J2EE and OOA&D. These books were all I used to get certified, and if you want to pass as well, I'm pretty sure they're all you'll need too.
   
   Good luck! It's a tough exam!



3. If you want to pass the exam and have fun at the same time get this book. I finished the book in two days!!(its like reading your favorite novel)
   It is specific to the objectives of the exam with simple and easy to grasp language and examples, it covers the Java technologies in first five chapters and then the oops and core java later(first thing I liked about the book), the shape example to define abstract class and used the same modified one for explaining interfaces was the best.
   By and large an outstanding book. Highly recommended



4. I am just learning Java, but am also very technical in other areas. I liked the informal nature of the book, and feel like I learned a lot of Java fundamentals. However, I had to be careful, because the informal style lead to a number of areas where I could have assumed something that is incorrect.
   
   As other people have mentioned, there are many errors in the books. However, after years of reading technical books, I am used to this, and the errors here were inline with others I have seen elsewhere.
   
   Last, and certainly not least, I'm not sure if the test changed, but neither of Cameron's books reflected the actual content of the test very well.



5. This book is fine, readable, and since there isnt much competition, its good to prepare for the exam.
   
   However, I cant believe the author is a Java/programming expert. At some point he says that it is easier to parse strings by kicking off an external Perl program. And he frequently discusses StringBuffers, Vectors, etc which good Java programmers in this decade would not champion. Also, as some others have said, his language is not precise and the editing/proofreading is really bad.
   
   I dont really think it is 1 star, I think it is worth purchasing (maybe 2 or 3 stars), but the average score is too high. :)
   
   Chris

5 comments about J2EE 1.4: The Big Picture.

1. Sun does a lot of things right with their Java products, but one thing they do wrong is in how they name their versions of Java. J2EE 1.4 is an environment that allows you to do very many things. Short for Java 1.(2) Enterprise Edition, it is a set of tools used to write large, distributed applications, although from the name, it is hard to discern that fact. Since distributed applications have many parts, simply understanding how those parts can be put together is a major undertaking. This book is designed to give the reader a broad overview of J2EE, the various components and what each is used for.
   There is very little code in the book. What does appear is skeletal and easy to understand. The premise is that Antoine is starting an online gourmet pizza business after being successful in selling locally. His online component is wildly successful and before long he realizes that he must scale his online business dramatically upward. The current structure of his website does not allow for rapid and efficient expansion, so his online business is in danger of collapsing under the weight of his success.
   The book is designed to be an overview of the different ways the components of J2EE can be used to create an application server. It is not in any way meant to be an in-depth technical manual, the goal is to explain the components of J2EE in a way that non-technical people can understand. That goal is successfully met, there is never a time where the authors rise to a technical level beyond that of someone who understands how software operates.
   If your goal is to learn the overall use of J2EE in creating large distributed systems, then this is the book for you. However, if you possess some technical knowledge, then it will probably not be interesting or challenging.



2. Good non-techie intro. I'm now ready for a technical introduction to J2EE.
   
   It helps to have an introduction to enterprise architecture (i.e. Martin Fowler Enterprise Patterns) before moving on to this book.



3. The book is full of "cutesiness" which makes the book much longer than it need be.
   Conversely - what the book lacks is a good solid explanation, with detailed examples, of basic elements of J2EE like the Home_interface Component/Local/Remote interface - and how they actually tie-in with the Clients and RDBMS. It's not that these things aren't mentioned. They are. For example chapter12, p.148 :
   "The Home interface is kind of like a hostess at a restaurant. In fancier restaurants you don't find your own table and order your food directly from the chef; you ask the hostess to find you a seat and the hostess assigns you a waiter who talks to the chef.You ask the waiter for your food".
   Followed by 8 pages containing some codes and and explanations - that don't really explain how you connect everything together.
   
   So in conclusion - if what you want is to know the buzz-words, the book is to long.
   If what you need is technical detail beyond a long explanation why J2EE is like a fancy restaurant,
   and that: "The database just sits around holding data. Sometimes it hums snatches from Broadway musicals softly to itself but mostly it doesn't do much. And that doesn't do anyone any good. like a library without a librarian" (p.159)
   - than this book is disappointing



4. This is quite possibly the worst book ever written. I've actually not finished reading it, and probably never will; I've tried three times, but end up putting it down after 20 pages every time I pick it up. I recently brought it on a plane trip with me so I had several hours with it, but it's just not possible to get very far. You truly have to suspend disbelief while reading this piece of garbage: "Are they really writing this? Doesn't Prentice Hall use editors? Or at least some sort of grammar check?"
   
   Every aspect of technology has been personified or anthropomorphized. The Dolphin is constantly talking to the Statue of Atlas who in turn talks to the Golden Retriever, but they only explain once that the Golden Retrieve equals the database server, so after five pages when you've forgotten that fact none of it makes any sense any more. You literally need Cliffs Notes to decode what the authors are talking about. All the "characters" talk to each other, with dialogue and everything. And the dialogue is AWFUL. If you can't write poetry or prose, then why bother writing a little play between the web serving Bee and the web containing Horse? Reading terrible writing is surprisingly distracting. Midway through trying to comprehend a concept the authors cut away to an example where the Scarecrow says something unbelievably stupid to the Cowardly Lion and all you can think is "how did this make it into the final draft?" Congratulations: you just wasted the last five minutes of your life, and you have nothing at all to show for it. (Aside: they actually use the characters from the Wizard of Oz to represent some concept, but the analogy is so flawed that they literally take several sentences explaining how the Tin Man represents Resource Management. You will never get those three minutes back, and you will be dumber for having read it. Shouldn't an example metaphor whose purpose is to illustrate a point be somewhat obvious?)
   
   This book is 90% filler and 100% poorly written. I just cannot figure out who the target audience is. It is not for anyone remotely technical. Anyone who is functional and has risen to a managerial role is probably too busy to deal with the ridiculousness of the book. But if you do have the time to wade through this disaster and are simple enough to appreciate this mess, then how could you possibly need to know about J2EE? Who are you people that gave this book five stars?!? What companies pay your salaries?!?



5. I continue to recommend this book to people who are unfamiliar with the Java Enterprise platform. This book is well-written and easy to digest--the perfect introductory book!

5 comments about Programming with Objects: A Comparative Presentation of Object Oriented Programming with C++ and Java.

1. This is a pathbreaking book that teaches Java and C++ as a package. I believe this is an innovation that should be universally adopted. Kak, who is legendary as a inspiring teacher, uses all his skills to abstract the main ideas of the two languages in such a manner that is illuminating.

   I recommend this book enthusiastically as a text for college courses and as a book for self study.




2. I have used this book as a text for my class. It helped me understand the concepts of Java and C++ better than the other books that I consulted.



3. 
   I took a C++/Java course based on this book and liked it very much.
   
   Of course, you will be better off if you get yourself two separate books on C++ (for instance, The C++ Programming Language: Special Edition (3rd Edition) ) and Java, but this one is as good as it gets in a single cover.



4. To put it simply, this book is the best book I have read on OOP. It will save you a LOT of time and annoying searching through the net to only read thousands of confusing and badly written explanations of the different aspects of OOP with C++/Java. It is also very good with the choice of topics. Highly recommended. The text is simple, terse, to the point and fun to read.



5. I'm not new to oop, as I'm a java programmer; I took this book because I had to study some c++ for a job interview.
   I liked this book from the beginning, I think the explanations are very clear and the examples go right to the point.
   The best thing about the book is that it's very detailed and precise, and it doesn't waste your time with ambiguous discourses (as many IT books do).

5 comments about J2ME: The Complete Reference.

1. Skip the first 50 pages, they have just about nothing to do with the rest of the book. I want to know about J2ME, not about satallites orbiting the earth.
   There were several small errors throughout, source code missing things here and there. But as I got deeper into the book I didn't know enough about the language to correct the errors. That's what I purchased the book for.
   Instead I went to Osborne's website where they have the source code for the book (with errors intact) but otherwise don't acknowledge that the book exists. It would have been nice to have an "updates" section where a couple of the errors were corrected. At least run the source code before you put it in the book. I'm pretty disappointed.



2. This book should be retitled as MIDPand JDBC:The complete reference. It is in NO way a complete reference for J2ME.
   
   If you are looking a book on using the MIDP profile, this is as comprehensive as a book can get.It has complete code listings to explain each concept and has extensive coverage of the MIDP API's.
   
   J2ME also consists of CDC profile that is used to write J2ME applications for wireless devices that are NOT memory constrained. When one clainms that they are creating a complete reference for J2ME, they cannot leave out CDC. This book does not even devote 1 chapter to explain CDC which is such a crucial part of J2ME. Instead the author wastes space and piles on chapters by explaining JDBC and web services.
   
   Buy this book if you want to learn only MIDP, else this one is not for you.



3. J2Me book should atleast make you feel the " little ness"
   of the platform you are writing to. No where does this
   book even hint at the severe and extreme constraints involved
   in writing for this platform. Issues with UI display,
   threading issues, problems with RMS persistence .
   
   Man! talking about persistence, this author would make you
   feel that you are gonna use full fledged SQL 92 compliant
   database.
   No limits to my frustration for having spent my money
   on this book; equivalently, I could have dumped into
   a garbage bin. Totally irresponsible of the author!



4. You have to be REALLY desperate for a J2ME book to think that this will end all your J2ME problems!
   I have read this book thru and thru, and I had found it useful for the ultimate beginnner style of J2ME,but I could've pulled this info from the web. Often while reading it, I did have to consult the web a number of times, and still got a bunch of dead ends-
   This book was not ALL bad, but the other reviews mention a embedded database usage that is out of date. No kiddin there! I was shocked to think that this was only as far as the technology had come, there had to be a better light!
   If you want the ultimate intro guide to J2ME programming, and a lite to minimal amount of practice with few technologies that even in service anymore, anchors away! But again if you think that you need something more than a bouncing ball on the screen and out of date embed-able programs then head on to deeper waters.
   Hope this helps



5. Why are all the glowing, 5-star reviews, seemingly entered on the same day?
   
   I smell a rat.

5 comments about Taming Java Threads.

1. Taming Java Threads by Allen Holub is THE best book dealing with Java and threads. Typically you can just pick any O'Reilly book for any subject matter and just assume it is going to be one of the best books out there. That is not the case here - Allen has written a very comprehensive book on threads in Java and covering issues related to multithreaded programming not covered anywhere else.

   Unlike a lot of people, I got exposed to Allen's writings via. his JavaWorld articles on Threading. That 9 part article offered a great treatment on Java threads and probably was a basis for this book. But the book is far more comprehensive and offers a great understanding of the basics of threads, and how to work with them correctly. This book is very extensive touching on every aspect of multithreading programming including AWT and Swing. This book is a must for anyone programming multithreaded applications in Java.




2. This is an in depth detailed book. It is packed with insights and the nitty gritty you cannot find in most places. However, unless you have already studied threads and worked with them, the explanations can sometimes miss the mark. Early in the book an example of a Simple_notifying_queue is explained well, but quickly transforms into a discussion of the nuances of wait(). I was still hanging in until the next class, to help solve the wait() problem was difficult to follow. I finally realized he was using an anonymous inner class as a method parameter which implemented an interface and required variables in the method to be marked final in order to be able to use them. Ok, that was a good refresher, but why complicate threads with a first example using esoteric features of Java, negative logic for a conditional test that is suppose to return true, and all this after a discussion of thread priorities and process priorities and how bad NT is. If Java only has 10 priorities and NT has 7, they both sound a little weak compared to Solaris. But when you don't yet know threads, it is a discussion that leaves one baffled. I think you have to build slow, picking up steam as you lay a foundation. This book starts off addressing fellow thread experts. I do have to rate it high for the detail and depth, I only say it is not the first book you should read on threads. You have to already be accomplished to get it. Keep your level of understanding of threads in mind when purchasing and save this one after some decent exposure.



3. What it is: a brief introduction to threads, and then a lot of strategies for re-implementing some of the thread-related classes that Sun provides (or fails to provide). If you are running up against the limitations of Sun's thread-related code and want to re-implement some of it, this book might be just what you're looking for. If you want to learn a lot about threads and how to use them correctly, another book might be better.

   What I liked: I found the writing to be relatively clear and concise. I didn't like much else about the book, but that's probably because I was really looking for a different type of book.

   What I didn't like: the author spends a lot of time complaining about things, some relating to threading and some not. I really don't care about the author's opinion of whether Sun should have made the default access for a method to be "package". The author comes across as a whiner because of all this complaining. Also, a big chunk of the book is taken up by copyright notices he sprinkles throughout his code. Finally, he doesn't use Sun's code style conventions. There is a reason Sun created these conventions: it's so all Java code would look similar and the reader doesn't get slowed down by an unfamiliar format. It doesn't matter so much for private code, but for publishing code in a book, there's no excuse for using a different style. (And of course the author wastes a few paragraphs complaining about Sun's code style too.)




4. Mr Holub doesn't stop a second before starting to attack everything in Java.
   He doesn't like the class and method naming conventions and therefore completely ignores them throughout the book.
   He doesn't agree with the way Sun decided Threads should work in Java so he sets out to rewrite the entire system from scratch (or at least wrap it in something he does like).
   He seems to hate Microsoft with a vengeance and as a result doesn't stop telling how at every point they did wrong implementing multithreading in Windows.
   
   In fact, once you get past those things there's precious little left.



5. „Taming Java Thread" by Allen Holub covers all different facets of Java thread programming which are important for users. Topics discussed on 300 pages include architecture and details of multithreaded programming, mutex, conditional variables, threads in specials areas like singletons and Java UI programming.
   
   The in-depth discussion assumes good knowledge of Java and Java threads. Thus this experts` book does not waste chapters with repeating well-known basics or the common API, it starts directly with high-end excellent details. Where other resources end this book starts. You directly see that the author is an expert with fundamental practical knowledge not only in Java but also in C++. This knowledge is not restricted to basic usage, he also knows and gives hints to platform specific behaviour.
   
   Another advantage of this book is the excellent Java Swing discussion containing Timers, Alarms, Swing Thread Safety, Obeservers and Multicasters.
   
   Finally Allen exposures design-flaws and critical issues in the Java multithreading archtitecture. He does not only point them out, he also gives great solutions how he would fix them.
   
   This genial book was published 2000. Although it is five years old it is still state-of-the-art and I did not find a comparable book. Meanwhile many enhancements Allen provides are included in the Java 2 Standard Edition Version 5. If you directly use the concurrent packages of the Java Tiger release you profit from well designed abstractions saving you a lot of time and work. It is still very interesting to know the basics and backgrounds of the thread architecture and details. Especially for a UI developer the dedicated chapters are fantastic.
   
   The only point which is a little bit strange for me is that Allen does not use the well-known and commonly accepted Java syntax: in his code examples he choses underscores to separate_the_different_sub_strings and notTheCommonlyUsedCamelNotation (he explains why he did so). New books and articles of Allen do use the camel notation.
   
   I really hope the author writes a second edition discussing new thread functionality in Java Tiger or even other black holes which are undiscovered by the mainstream books.
   
   The book published by the wonderful publisher Apress is an absolutely must-have!

5 comments about Java 2 Fast & Easy Web Development w/CD (Fast & Easy Web Development).

1. I was having difficulties in my Java course and needed help getting through the front door. This book gave lots of examples of code and even explained the details of it. Most importantly, it was easy to read and didn't loose me with lots of technical jargon. I highly recommend this book as a good stepping-stone to building a good understanding of Java.



2. I am an experienced Java programmer who recently started teaching Java to previously non-technical students. I searched weeks to find a book that would make it easy enough to understand java, without trivializing the subject. This book was perfect. The easy instructions really helped my students "get it."

   I would highly recommend for anyone who isn't familiar with the language to start here.




3. Having thumbed through a few books in a local bookstore I found that many were either treating the user as a complete idiot or someone with a programming background already. What I enjoyed about this book is that the author really seems to be speaking to the student - rather than a matter of fact "this is how it is" - he leads you through the course explaining everything in detail - and explain WHY he's explaining it in detail without being patronizing.
   I "got it" very quickely :)

   (I only give 4 stars because I do not think this is a good book for absolute programming beginners - but then I don't think Java is a good language for absolute beginners either)




4. This is a great book for someone who has a just a smidgen of programming experience and wants to learn java. The examples are easy to follow and well explained.

   Although the author does make some attempts to explain some of the more nebulous aspects of the java language, they don't get so bogged down in it as to make it impenetrable. If it goes in one ear and out the other, you can still follow along.

   Another plus--so far, all the sample code seems to work (i'm about 2/3s through).




5. Hmmm, where to start.
   This book should proably be titled "Java 2 for beginners who have not had Object-Oriented Programing" This book was the "last" of many I used for my Intro to Java 2 course. This book gives clear examples of Java and the OOP relationship. After I used this book, everything just "clicked". The only thing missing is "Swing". I wrote the author and he said the editor wanted to keep the number of pages down, so Swing was taken out. I would like to see a 2nd edition to include Swing.
   The Author did a great job! This book is not for experienced programers unless they need to understand OOP.
   This book was a lifesaver for my Java 2 course.

5 comments about Java Gently: Programming Principles Explained (3rd Edition) (International Computer Science Series).

1. I have recently being appointed to teach Java and Object oriented programming to a class in my Institute. Upon poor advice from one of my colleagues, i recommended this book to my class. However i have found it to be a totally frustrating experience using this book as a class text. It is structured very poorly and the author seems to jump all over the place. she introduces complex examples early on the book without any proper explanation of the underlying concepts. She leaves the proper discussion of objects too late in the book and the object and class design methodologies are unclear and poorly explained. an awful book i have now switched to another book by Morelli called Java Java Java which is structured much more cleverly.



2. If you take a look at the reviews so far, you will see one common denominator: those who have little programming experience are greatly frustrated with this book. But programmers who need to learn a new language, seem to think that it is quite OK. I would have to place myself in the first category. I read the first couple of chapters as part of a university course, but soon abandoned the book. The learning curve is way too steep for beginners. The progression of themes bears witness of limited pedagogical insight. But I still believe that folks with plenty of programming experience may enjoy this book. I give it two stars, though, primarily because of the inappropriate title. This is NOT a 'gentle' introduction to Java. Maybe the third edition has improved in this respect (published December 2000)?



3. This book was used in one of my freshman classes as an introduction to Java programming. The book was fairly easy to understand and did a decent job of explaining things.

   I think my biggest complaint is the use of the javagently text class. The way the book is written made the reader/user too dependent on it, and at a loss for what to do if/when the class wasn't present.

   While using JavaGently I found myself frequenting the API's at java.sun.com. I have since used it for reference, but the lack of detail on material covered by the javagently text class has had a negative impact on this book.




4. ...>I really like what the author and publishers have achieved with the third edition, especially in augmenting the material with modern programming aids to be found in similar books. The book helps students with far more than just Java programming. It has syntax and semantic forms, UML diagrams, several indices into Java APIs, classes, methods, example programs, a ten page general index (double columned), over 50 full examples and case studies, and a more sound object-oriented introduction than in many comparable books. It also has the most active and appreciated website we have ever seen.



5. This book was required reading for my graduate-level foundation Java class. Having no previous experience in object-oriented programming, I was reassured by the title that Java Gently would ease me into the programming world. While the road wasn't as "gentle" as I had hoped, the book does provide readers with practical examples for implementing Java 2 and explains how concepts used in introductory programs can be applied to more complex ones. Although Java Gently is an introductory book, it would be more useful for someone who has programming experience in another language. Perhaps then the learning curve would be a bit more "gentle."

5 comments about Java for Students (3rd Edition).

1. For several years I have been struggling with understanding programming. Networking training often references C or C++ or Visual Basic ideas to illustrate concepts as if everyone understands their basics. I have beat my head against a wall trying to follow along with texts on scripting and Active Server Pages because these books often assume familiarity with fundamental programming concepts. I even read SAMS Teach Yourself Beginning Programming in 24 Hours without learning enough to put everything together. And then I found Java for Students by Douglas Bell and Mike Parr.

   Java for Students is written for people with absolutely no prior knowledge of programming. Books often say things like this and then after the first chapter or two take off into the skies where it is impossible for many to follow. This book taught me to fly!

   Like many introductory books you write your first Java program inside the first 20 pages. And then the authors continue to provide example after example and more than 100 exercises that build progressively on the information presented until you really get the hang of programming in Java and understanding programming concepts - variables, calculations, methods, parameters, events, decisions, repetition, objects, classes, inheritance, arrays, string manipulation, exception handling, packages, abstract classes, interfaces, threads... My proudest moment was when I scanned through the Glossary at the very end of the book and really understood all the terms included. If you want to understand programming in general and Java specifically, this is a great place to start.

   These authors do an excellent job of presenting essential information in a simple fashion and then adding more details and complexity as you progress through the book. They presented code that illustrated concepts and syntax in early chapters that they added to in subsequent chapters to demonstrate additional features or problem solving methods. The result was an opportunity to develop confidence and familiarity without being overwhelmed with all the details at once. At the end of each chapter Bell and Parr included a Grammar Spot, Programming Pitfalls, New Language Elements, and a Summary. They did a good job of reinforcing important points.

   The authors teach in the UK and the book has a funny mixture of British and US influences. I was a little nervous when an exercise invited creating a program to calculate making change for a soft drink machine in British money but then they offered an overview of UK coins and a suggestion to work in the common denominator, pence. I did not find any difficulties following the discussions as an American.

   I noticed more editing problems in the last third of the book - missing words, mislabeled material. This was a little challenging but if you were following along closely you could understand what was meant. It was more disconcerting than anything else.

   The book refers to a website that provides the source code for all the examples and demonstrations of their running...I liked this book a lot. If you need to start with the basics I think you will too!




2. I am puzzled at the generally good reviews I see here for this book. I recommend that you instead buy "Java 2 in 21 Days". It costs less than half and is twice as well-written. It speaks plain English, and explains things on the spot instead of annoyingly putting them off for later. The only edge I could possibly see for "Students" is that there are more exercises.

   The main problem with the Bell/Parr book is that these two English university men have serious difficulties with English, and apparently can't get any help from their editors. Sentences whose meaning is effectively hidden in a subsidiary clause are their forte. Yes, just like the last sentence!

   From page 88: "The amount the value is changed if the area between the slider and the end of the range is clicked is 1."

   What they said: "... so don't be disappointed if you get some error messages. One of the standing jokes of programming is that error messages from compilers are often cryptic and unhelpful."

   What they meant: "Unfortunately, you can't expect much help from these messages. Most are so cryptic and unhelpful that they are a standing joke among programmers."

   Save money. Avoid tantrums caused by mangled English. Buy "21 days". No, I have no connection with "21 days", and paid full price for it. Al Gruber.




3. If I didn't have a professor that was so detailed this book would have me totally lost. Their explanations seem to fall short half the time. Becuase this book is so poor I'm in the process of finding another Beginning Java book to fill in the details. Don't waste your money.



4. From my own experience I found trying to learn from this book an extremely difficult task especially being new to programming in general. I have spent more time flipping through other books trying to make sense of what these authors have written. If you are a novice to programming I suggest something with easier reading and better explanation of the topics such as Sams, Teach Yourself Java in 21 Days as suggested by the last review.



5. As a Java instructor, I respect the author's attempt to create a Java Textbook; this is not a simple task. However, I must say that this particular text is NOT a good choice for use in an Introductory Java course. I found this book a very difficult read, as some other reviewers have also commented - statements are tedious and at times you get the impression that the authors real intent is to convey how eloquent he can formulate his statements rather than convey a clear understanding of the technical principles being described. I find myself constantly wishing he'd "get to the point".

   Java is all about Objects, yet OOP is only presented later in the text, and then as an after thought. I've seen this in other books too, where you get the impression the author is not comfortable with OOP and prefers to provide an explanation of classic procedural programming techniques, rather than embrassing and exploiting the benefits of OOP as provided with a langauge like Java. The student may come away with a basic understanding of Java syntax, but will not adequetly appreciate or understand the fundamental reasons we're using Java instead of COBOL, PASCAL, or BASIC - it isn't just becuase it's a cool language.

   The focus on Applets may be useful for grabing the initial interest of the student and learning "fun", but by ignoring the more important role of java applications is doing students a disservice. Applets today are taking a less significant role in web application developement with the use of .NET and JSP.

   There are many better choices: the Dietel books, Core Java, BlueJ.org, etc.

5 comments about Beginning JSP 2: From Novice to Professional.

1. "Beginning JSP 2?" Yeah, right. Try: "Beginning JSP 2, HTML, JDBC, Java, JSTL, XML, XSLT, XML DTDs, XML Schemas, Servlets, Filters, with some MVC (Model 2) and Struts thrown in for Good Measure." While my recommended title may be a bit too long to be practical as a book title, it would better capture the materials covered from an introductory level, in "Beginning JSP 2."
   
   In about 360 pages, through 10 chapters, this book covers the technologies listed above, describing what they are, what they do, why folks are using them, how to use them, and how they relate and work with other technologies. Following these action packed chapters, the appendixes serve as great quick references on JSP syntax, implicit JSP objects, and various XML configuration files.
   
   To nitpick a bit: The book could benefit from some more aggressive editing, in parts, where sentence and paragraph wording is occasionally a little clumsy, and a few good-to-understand details were left out.
   
   The description on the back cover of the book says, "All you need... is a basic understanding of HTML and Java." I suggest this be corrected as follows: "All you need to know in order to follow and understand the lessons in 'Beginning JSP 2' is enough HTML to create a 'Hello World!' web page, and enough Java to create a 'Hello World!' application." On second thought, even if you can't do those things, yet, after reading this book, you'll be able to do a whole lot more.



2. I had bought this book to improve my knowledge of JSP - which is rather limited. I had expected, from the text on the back cover, this to be a comprehensive book on how to code JSPs (with lots of examples - which I like). In reality I was rather disappointed.
   The first Chapter went well, how to install Tomcat, and the second wasn't too bad (a review of HTML) but by the third chapter I started to notice a lack of clarity. It wasn't always clear which text I should be typing in and which were simply given as an aside - which for a step-by-step guide is frustrating. The fourth chapter was far worse. This started of by saying that we would be using mySQL, but failed to give any indication of where to get the software from, how to install it or how to start the server (you need to start the server to follow the examples). And then a number of the example instructions, that were given in this chapter, did not work without modification. I was able to work round these problems and make progress. But as this wasn't a core chapter (I read this book to learn how to use JSPs not mySQL) I had expected to go through it quickly.
   Overall the content was very useful and I learnt a lot, but the book would benefit from being edited (again?) and a second edition.



3. I did not read this book through because not even the 1st sample code works (due to configuration). Sent questions to two of the aythors the email addresses given in the book are not even valid !!! I went to sun website and the anwser was straight forward. If a book for novice can not explain better than Sun's official documents, why bother write the book?
   
   Waste of time and Money! Keep away from these authors who failed to display professionalism!



4. First of all:
   I did like this book. It gave me an easyly accessible introduction to all this business around using Tomcat. The author took quite some trouble to explain every related technology (HTML, CSS, SQL, OO, Java ...) in some detail. Sometimes you want to read through it to get reminded, sometimes you want to skim over it and sometimes even to skip it. But it is good that it is there. I do not know if you can actually grasp those related technologies, if you never saw them before. For me the rehash was helpful on all the cases I needed them.
   
   The core topics of the book: JSP itself with its expression language und standard tag libraries were very well explained and easy to grasp also for a first timer like me. I now do have a good feeling for its core topics and their whereabouts. I only got lost (a little) in the last chapter about Struts. There is seemingly so much overlap to other technologies (EL, JSTL, home grown Beans) that I did not succeed to get a clear picture of when to use what.



5. The directory structure described in 1st chapter doesn't fit Tomcat's directory structure. The text description is correct, but the screen shot is wrong. Also in 1st chapter, the JAR files that should be included in PATH variable also have the wrong name. This is very low-level mistakes.
   
   The 2nd chapter reviews HTML. Well, it is rather confusing than helpful. Then in Chapter 4 the author talks about database and tries to explain Normalization. I'd rather the author skips on this topic because he/she seems just lack of ability to explain things in the clear way.
   
   I bought this book to learn JSP, not to compose an errata for the author. I believe most readers don't like to do that either. If you would like avoid unnecessary headache, look else where.

1 comments about Professional Apache Geronimo (Wrox Professional Guides).

1. I purchased this reference to be the authoritative reference for deploying web-based J2EE applications on IBM's Websphere Community Edition, which is based on Geronimo. Specifically, I was looking for examples of the deployment descriptors which allow a web application to reference a remote EJB - a fairly basic requirement - but after several hours of reading found only a single incomplete example in the text. The book is replete with xml examples such as:
   .... link to ejb .... leaving the reader unsure of the format and content of the indicated parameter. I expect a technical reference book to not leave me guessing as to what the "link to ejb" should specify.