Java Web Services in a Nutshell

Rating:
Summary: Good for a "nutshell" book but incomplete.
Review: I found this book gave a good overview of JAX-RPC and JWSDK
features. But this book is very specific to the Sun JWSDK
implementation. There is nothing on Apache AXIS or differences
between implementations. The biggest deficiency for me was that
there is nothing at all on DIME and it only dicusses the
non-standard Sun JWSDK SOAP with MIME attachments API without
mentioning any alternatives.

Rating:
Summary: This book is gimmicky!
Review: If you are going to write Hello World type web services then simple to the point books are ok. If you are going to write web services for Fortune 500 companies then it becomes important to understand all the details and this is where the book falls short.

If you are casual about the topic, then I highly recommend it, otherwise purchase a serious book such as Java Web Services Architecture.

Rating:
Summary: Good book if you've already been introduced to web services.
Review: If you start reading about web services developed in Java, you'll quickly find that there are a number of Java technologies that come into play. These include SOAP, UDDI, WSDL, and others. Since you'll need to know about all of them to effectively develop your services, you'll need a book that covers those areas in detail. One of your choices would include Java Web Services In A Nutshell.

Like all Nutshell books, this is not an entry-level tutorial on the subject. It assumes preexisting knowledge so that less time is spent on the basics and more space can be devoted to the more complex intricacies of the technology. If the chaptersin the table of contents do not sound familiar, you're most likely not ready for this book. And yes, I would also include myself in that group...

The first 2/3's of the book cover the different web services packages, both conceptually and in practice with examples. You should be able to use the examples to jumpstart your own development efforts. The last 1/3 of the book is the traditional documentation of the package API information. As with most Nutshell books, this will be the area that quickly becomes worn and dog-earred.

Conclusion
If you are past the "What are web services?" stage, this book will be of value to you. If you are still trying to figure out what all the hype is about, I would recommend a more entry-level book like Java Web Services by O'Reilly.

Rating:
Summary: Good book if you've already been introduced to web services.
Review: If you start reading about web services developed in Java, you'll quickly find that there are a number of Java technologies that come into play. These include SOAP, UDDI, WSDL, and others. Since you'll need to know about all of them to effectively develop your services, you'll need a book that covers those areas in detail. One of your choices would include Java Web Services In A Nutshell.

Like all Nutshell books, this is not an entry-level tutorial on the subject. It assumes preexisting knowledge so that less time is spent on the basics and more space can be devoted to the more complex intricacies of the technology. If the chaptersin the table of contents do not sound familiar, you're most likely not ready for this book. And yes, I would also include myself in that group...

The first 2/3's of the book cover the different web services packages, both conceptually and in practice with examples. You should be able to use the examples to jumpstart your own development efforts. The last 1/3 of the book is the traditional documentation of the package API information. As with most Nutshell books, this will be the area that quickly becomes worn and dog-earred.

Conclusion
If you are past the "What are web services?" stage, this book will be of value to you. If you are still trying to figure out what all the hype is about, I would recommend a more entry-level book like Java Web Services by O'Reilly.

Rating:
Summary: Good reference book
Review: Like the other Nutshell books in O'Reilly's series, this too is designed to provide the most valuable information in the least space possible. Some people criticize the Nutshell series over this issue, but it is really the strong point of this book-it is designed to be used as a desktop reference. I have always liked the Nutshell book, and this one is no exception.

Again, this book isn't designed to be a how-to, and O'Reilly doesn't claim it as such. It's designed as a desktop reference, which is really where this book shines. Java web service developers will find this a valuable addition to their library.

Rating:
Summary: Good reference book
Review: Like the other Nutshell books in O'Reilly's series, this too is designed to provide the most valuable information in the least space possible. Some people criticize the Nutshell series over this issue, but it is really the strong point of this book-it is designed to be used as a desktop reference. I have always liked the Nutshell book, and this one is no exception.

Again, this book isn't designed to be a how-to, and O'Reilly doesn't claim it as such. It's designed as a desktop reference, which is really where this book shines. Java web service developers will find this a valuable addition to their library.

Rating:
Summary: Jump In Now or Wait?
Review: O'Reilly originally made its name in the technical field in the late 80s by publishing what became the definitive texts for programming X11 Windows. (Perhaps an unconscious emulation of the German Handbuchs of science and engineering.) Since then, O'Reilly has striven to do likewise in many other branches of computing. To many programmers, the existence of an O'Reilly book on a topic is proof that the topic is now authoritatively and independently covered.

Now, Topley and O'Reilly have presented us with this book, on Web Services. A positive sign for the field. As with other texts by the publisher, it crams a lot between its covers. Topley assumes you are familiar with writing GUIs in Java Swing/AWT; ie. with the building of "core" standalone Java applications. Web Services are inherently multimachine constructs. Which makes writing an explanatory text a little tricky. More pieces to plug together (and fall apart).

Topley is careful to point out that this field is still embryonic. Thus far, few (none?) commercial mission-critical applications exist. Also, the standard for secure Web Services is still jelling. True, there is always HTTPS. But it doesn't seem to allow for finer grained encryption and the field is casting for a better answer.

So the choice is yours. Wait a year or so till some of these issues get resolved. Or, more pertinently perhaps, you want make an impact in this field now?

Rating:
Summary: Very good book
Review: This book is a very good book to start with web service. The explanation and examples provide most of needs to start with a web service project. It has sufficient details to use Sun tools. Readers can easily found most of their interests on this topic. The major drawback is the short of coverage on implementations of weblogic or websphere, which are of interests of most programmers. This is excellent book for starters or mid-level developers