Rating: 
Summary: Comprehensive, resourceful, and candid
Review: It's so nice to have a book that covers the four major aspects of web programming. It's comprehensive, yet there's no filler that you find in some other books just to make it look like a large and comprehensive book. Who needs to spend $30-$50 for a 400 page book just on HTML?
One particular aspect I enjoyed was how the author pointed out what would work/not work with which browsers and on which platforms. I've never been able to find that type of information elsewhere, including the 3-4 other Java books I've looked through. He also gives tips on how to tailor your programming toward the mass audience, encompassing all browsers and all platforms. This is indispensible to someone trying to sell a service or product over the Web.
As if this wasn't enough, the source code that he's provided is great for building a larger and more powerful application for your own use. It's a big time saver, as you'd need to build these yourself if you were going to develop any applications, then write your interfacing code. Marty Hall provides the building blocks. The other books that I have seen provide examples that help you understand concepts, but don't help you much beyond that. I'll be using these modules for years to come.
A fantastic resource.
Rating:
Summary: Top-Notch Java/Web(HTML,CGI,JavaScript) book for programmers
Review: [Note: I was one of the technial reviewers of this book] Executive Summary: Core Web Programming is the Java / Web programming book to buy if you want to learn about HTML, Java, CGI, or JavaScript. The Java chapters and examples are excellent and could be a book in themselves. There are many cheap Java / Web "books" out there -- this is *not* one of them. Core Web Programming was written by a professional, for professionals. Target Audience: Web developers who want to learn about putting content on the Web via HTML, CGI, and JavaScript and by programmers who are looking for a good introduction to Java. The book is designed for professional self-study, but could be used a as companion text in classroom environment. Technical Content: Superb. Without a doubt. The book contains everything you need to know to build masterful web pages from the simplest to those incorporating advanced features like frames, cascading style sheets, font properties, and dynamic pages with JavaScript. Java programming is presented both for use in web pages and by programmers who want to apply it to industrial strength applications. Up to date. Presents the latest in Java 1.1 with an explanation of changes from Java 1.02. Explains HTML 3.2 and how the HTML standard has evolved. Includes side topics often left unmentioned like network security and threads. Marty's (200+) examples are pure gold. To the beginner, the examples are clear explanations of how to do something. To the advanced hacker, the examples are full of excellent style, techniques, and paradigms that may take more time to master. Marty clearly argues that Java is not just a Web programming language, but a full strength (albeit young) language ripe for many applications. The chapters on graphical programming in Java, (chapters 9-13), especially the chapter on layout managers, are the best I have seen on the subject. Author's Style: Marty is a trained computer scientist, not a full-time technical writer. The material he presents is based on years of experience and and teaching and is not a mere reference guide. The book does not assume a background in C/C++/Java syntax or object-oriented programming which are surveyed in chapters 7-8. The graphical examples are often demonstrated on several platforms, so whether you are using a Mac, PC, or UNIX box, and regardless of what browser you prefer, this book is written for you. Marty is unassuming and carefully but not laboriously explains concepts with frequent examples. The tables on HTML syntax (in chapters 1-3) will serve as a good reference for those learning HTML. Marty also does a good job explaining programming with threads (chapter 14), a topic that many authors present poorly or with many mistakes. The book is filled with both a subtle humor (see the spell-correcting textfield example), and some apt, Dilbert (TM) strips. Core Web Programming was designed to cover all aspects of programming on the Web, -- in one book! Why buy one book on HTML, another on CGI, others on Java and JavaScript, and so on? About the Reviewer: I have had the pleasure of working with Marty for 6 years at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and I consider him a remarkable computer scientist, programmer and communicator. I have observed the many late hours Marty devoted to the book and I believe the result is excellent. I also teach courses at Johns Hopkins in the Java and C++ languages and as a professional software developer and instructor, I give the book my strongest endorsement. Paul McNamee
Rating: 
Summary: Superceded by better books
Review: Agreed that Marty Hall knows how to write and produces great books. Knowing this, I can heartily recommend his more recent "More Servlets and JSPs" as it provides more relevant up to date information. For the Java side of things, this offers the most bang for your buck. When this book first came out, it was attempting to cover the gamut of web development technology, and tried to go from CGI up through JSPs and the coverage was ultimately spotty. For a more focused approach to servlets and JSPs, read Hall's later books. For a better historical perspective on the evolution of web programming, look at "Web Application Architecture - Principles, Protocols and Practices" by Leon Shklar and Richard Rosen.
Rating:
Summary: Outdated, unfriendly
Review: I would be the first person to say that Marty Hall is a gifted writer. His books on Servlets and JSP are my favorite computer books, but this book is far from great. The style is cold, the material delivered too fast with too little explanations and all in all, the attempt to cover everything in one fell swoop fails. I was using the book in a class that tried to cover the material the book does, and as a learning resource it is way too shallow for thorough knowledge, more as an 'In a Nutshell' style instead.
If you want a good Javascript book, get 'Practical JavaScript for the Usable Web'; if you want a good Java book, well, look someplace else.
Spare yourself a book you will not enjoy reading (and get Marty Hall's 'Core Servlets' instead!).
Rating: 
Summary: A standard
Review: This was used in an MBA-level course on "Development of Web-Based Applications." The course centered on the management of application development, and the actual web-development component of the course was pretty light. However, I've used this book as a resource before and if you use Java this is a must-have.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding, Real life examples!
Review: This book is great for a beginner. It covers the basic of HTML, Java 2, JSP's, Servelts, and some javascript. Examples are clear and easy to understand.
Rating:
Summary: Almost perfect, more JavaScript needed...
Review: Before I bought this book: I knew about html basic elements such as head, body, p, and a few more. I had to use tools to create web pages and I never knew how it really works, and I didn't use any advanced elements. Now I can do web pages much better, use CSS and many other cool things.
This book is so well organized it has good approach, from easy elements to harder elements. It covers very interesting topics starting with text elements (for beginning), frames, css, java introduction, java programming, basic 2d & 3d graphics, mouse and keyb. events, layout managers, awt components, swing, threads, network programming (excellent one), and finally server side stuff (java server pages, servlets,jdbc...).
My wish would be to remove java programming sections, since java programming is too big and to complex to show it in 2 or 3 sections, also there are plenty java programming books around. However this is just my opinion.
*All* of the examples are SHORT and INDEPENDENT: you don't have to read all chapters in a row to be able to understand the example. Each topic has it's own nice and small example which exactly points out the essential things. I really hate reading a book from beginning to the end, therefore I hate when whole book is based on one example which grows as you go further - THIS BOOK IS NOT LIKE THAT, althow more examples would be even better.
Finally, this is one of the best books I own, the only negative mark is that java programming should be removed, as well as awt, and instead more java script should be present, however this problem is easy to overcome by buying one of numerous java script books (recomended: JavaScript Bible by Danny Goodman).
Sorry for typos, good luck to all, bye !
Rating:
Summary: Covers the fine points
Review: This is an excellent book for those of us who want to know WHY something is done in a particular way or should be done in a different way. I highly recommend this book as a desk reference to both seasoned Java programmers and newbies. The examples are excellent and the online code repository admirably complete. They work and can be used in professional situations.
Rating:
Summary: You might be suprised
Review: I was impressed with the detail displayed by the authors. I found the comparison of web browser capabilities very detail. The HTML section is relatively complete. The authors cover 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3. The book is a great place to start learning Java.
Rating:
Summary: Great Programming Guide - Very Hands on
Review: This book is a great for beginner and intermediate Web programmers. Some advanced programmers might even get something out of it. In depth examples allow you to learn by reading and implementing code. The content packs several languages into one book. You can learn HTML, DHTML, XML, CGI, Java, JSP, and JavaScript all in one place, without having to buy one book for each. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning Web Programming or learning more about Web Programming.
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