Rating: 
Summary: Simply Amazing
Review: Even though this book is named "J2EE design and development", it seems to be much more than that. This seems to be the book in which the author attempted to put, in a crystallized form, most of his expertise not just in J2EE (that would be trivial), but in programming and (particularly) architecture in general. Given that the author is a true expert in the field (this is clear after reading just a few pages), this book has a value beyond anything I can express here in my words. I learned from this book more than from any other book on programming and architecture, with a possible exception of GOF "Design Patterns" classics.No other book on web programming that I know of comes even close to this one. Some noteworthy features:
-- Always framework-oriented approach (which in my view is the only possible choice for real-world projects)
-- Heavy emphasis on architectural side of web development (follows from the previous point)
-- Comparison of different view technologies from practical point of view, w/o exclusively subscribing to a particular one which seems popular (like, JSP).
-- Excellent coverage of MVC paradigm, again, w/o subscribing to a particlar implementation (like Struts, etc)
-- Extensive coverage of all levels ("tiers") of a web application. But what really shines, are the insights on architecture, namely the things which is impossible to find out by theoretically studying J2EE specifications and books such as "Enterprise Java Beans" and the like. For example, why Entity EJBs don't work. Or when is collocated EJB architecture is more appropriate than the distributed one, and why. After reading the book, many concepts just clear up. Not to say that everything is written in a clear and concise language (despite a few typographical errors that Wrox books are notorious for). In short, this book is simply amazing.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Amazing
Review: Even though this book is named "J2EE design and development", it seems to be much more than that. This seems to be the book in which the author attempted to put, in a crystallized form, most of his expertise not just in J2EE (that would be trivial), but in programming and (particularly) architecture in general. Given that the author is a true expert in the field (this is clear after reading just a few pages), this book has a value beyond anything I can express here in my words. I learned from this book more than from any other book on programming and architecture, with a possible exception of GOF "Design Patterns" classics. No other book on web programming that I know of comes even close to this one. Some noteworthy features:
-- Always framework-oriented approach (which in my view is the only possible choice for real-world projects)
-- Heavy emphasis on architectural side of web development (follows from the previous point)
-- Comparison of different view technologies from practical point of view, w/o exclusively subscribing to a particular one which seems popular (like, JSP).
-- Excellent coverage of MVC paradigm, again, w/o subscribing to a particlar implementation (like Struts, etc)
-- Extensive coverage of all levels ("tiers") of a web application. But what really shines, are the insights on architecture, namely the things which is impossible to find out by theoretically studying J2EE specifications and books such as "Enterprise Java Beans" and the like. For example, why Entity EJBs don't work. Or when is collocated EJB architecture is more appropriate than the distributed one, and why. After reading the book, many concepts just clear up. Not to say that everything is written in a clear and concise language (despite a few typographical errors that Wrox books are notorious for). In short, this book is simply amazing.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptional Effort but be Warned
Review: First of all, this is a fine book. It is loaded with valuable nuggets and insight that I have yet to find in similar books. I agree with all of the other reviewers that Rod's style is great and that his strong opinions (based on obviously extensive experience) are a welcome relief to the simple re-organization of Sun's specification and/or design pattern recommendations. ONE CAUTION! Some of the framework code outlined in the book COULD be considered overly complex for many circumstances. Ironically, Rod would probably respond that the high degree of abstraction would IMPROVE the usability and maintainability of any J2EE application. However, I believe that excessive abstraction, in an of itself, can become a maintenance (and training) nightmare (look at the sheer complexity of the interface inheritance in the data access framework from Chapter 9 alone). His solutions to Data Access and Application infrastructure are so sophisticated that they qualify as a framework worthy of open source momentum on their own. The downside of this, of course, is that your development team must invest in understanding these sophisticated hierarchies since they are unlikely to have encountered them in any previous role. Unless you have a VERY stable team of highly skilled designers/developers, be cautious of trying to implement such frameworks. Instead, the downsides of more simple (albeit less flexible) approaches are usually outweighed by the reduction in training or the likelihood that transient resources will be able to contribute more quickly. Nonetheless, a great book and worthy of my ** All-Star ** category.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: Great discussion of J2EE design and development. This is not a beginners book. It has a lot of great material on the pitfalls of J2EE development and how to avoid the traps. Reads like a true "one-on-one" discusson from an expert developer. Check out the author's work in the Spring framework: http://www.springframework.org/
Rating: 
Summary: Good Content, Poor Editing
Review: I am new to J2EE. I went to some Sun training and got a nice overview of what J2EE is. Now comes the question, how to use J2EE? There are so many decisions to be made. How do I make them? This book seems to do a very nice job of helping with that question.
However, I am disappointed in the editing of this book. I have read too many sentences that had glaring mistakes, enough that this is a distraction while reading, but don't let that stop you from buying this book.
Rating:
Summary: Wrox Expert one-on-one J2EE Design and Development:Excelent
Review: I appreciated the clean and clear style of this book. Important points are highlighted within the shaded boxes of text found throughout the book. It is apparent that Mr. Johnson has spent many hours working through problems with the existing J2EE architectures and he explains what he feels is worthwhile and what is not. I appreciate that this is accomplished without a lot of elaboration. Mr. Johnson presents a practical approach to J2EE design with an in depth analysis of the Web-Tier Model-View-Controller design. I found the reference information helpful to assist me in preparing to grasp the dense subject matter presented. A review of MVC from the GOF was helpful as well as a review of Core J2EE Patterns with attention to the Service to Worker and DAO patterns. Since Mr. Johnson has worked in the development of a MVC famework, the framework he has written is presented. The com.interface21 framework is presented with its infrastructure as he walks through the various design alternatives all the while guiding the reader away from design pit-falls while maintaining a clean delineation of responsibilities within the MVC framework. Some of the diagrams are just too small to use without a magnifying glass but the diagrams are crisp with magnification. This book is a must for the framework designer, or pragmatic developer that must implement J2EE architecture. -Ralph Burroughs
January 12, 2003
Rating:
Summary: The Best book for J2EE app development
Review: I chose this book because it was the No.1 best-selling book at amazon and I was not disappointed. In fact, this is one of the best architecture cum programming books I've read. This book breaks down the j2ee architecture and explains every concept from beginning to end. The author is really a great teacher. You'll be amazed on how clear he explains things. Examples work straight away and easy to run. For me, this is really "THE" book for J2EE.
Rating:
Summary: The best value for a book: EXPERT EXPERIENCE!!
Review: I have a lot of books and it is the best book I had never. This book is not theorical, no, it offers lots of experience, tips and definitions that can convert you to a true j2EE Expert. Work with bigger J2EE applications without doubts because this book will help you to carry out them.
Rating:
Summary: The best value for a book: EXPERT EXPERIENCE!!
Review: I have a lot of books, this is the best book I had never. This book is not a theorical book, no, it offers a lot of experience tips and definitions that can convert you to a true j2EE Expert
Rating:
Summary: Good addition to your library
Review: I like his writing style and enjoyed his presentation. The depth covers the basics, but I found myself going to some of my other titles for reference. These included EJB Design by Marinescu; J2EE Design Patterns Applied by Juric; and J2EE, The Complete Reference by Keogh. I recommend Johnson's book as your next addition to your library.
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