Rating: 
Summary: Reconsider
Review: If you're like me and type in the examples provided in the textbook to make sure I understand what I'm doing, then you will NOT like this book. There's WAY too many errors in the examples provided. Not only that but the source code accompanying the CD is also full of them. I wonder why this book is NOT at all like it's counterpart, "Core Servlets and Java Server Pages". The examples and syntax mistakes in this book make it definitley a book, if I had known, NOT to buy. Almost every single example has major inconsistencies. Another thing I wonder is did the authors of this book REALLY know JSP and HTML when they were writing this...and also if the publisher was really so dumb enough to let this book slide without testing out some random codes from the book...My review is that if you like reading just the book, then you'll be fine with this text, however if you do the examples, then you'll want to return this book. Unfortunately, I bought this book so I'll have to keep it. Find another book on JSP if you can because this is NOT the one you would want...trust me. And I agree with the few individuals who did not give this book a high rating because they, like me, were the only ones who ACTUALLY read this book...i'm surprised that some of the developers also gave this book a high rating even though they should have picked up on the problems in the code right from chapter 2 of this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Overview of JSP technology
Review: in my opinion, this book provides an overview of jsp and related technologies such as xml and custom tag. the authors are trying to cover breadth insteads of depth. i dislike this book because there are many errors in the sample codes. it is the responsibility of authors/publishers need to run through all the sample codes and make sure that they works.
Rating:
Summary: Overview of JSP technology
Review: in my opinion, this book provides an overview of jsp and related technologies such as xml and custom tag. the authors are trying to cover breadth insteads of depth. i dislike this book because there are many errors in the sample codes. it is the responsibility of authors/publishers need to run through all the sample codes and make sure that they works.
Rating: 
Summary: An overview of Core JSP
Review: JSP is a technology utilizing server-side scripting elements that are actually compiled into Java applications before they are executed. This gives web developers a scripting interface to create powerful Java Servlets. Java programmers can add the full power of the Java programming language to JSP Pages and create powerful web applications. The most powerful features of JSP pages are inherited from Java itself. Some of these advantages include the security and safety of the Java environment, as well as the inherent scalability of Java. Additionally, Java is very extensible, which gives it the ability to be incorporated into a maintainable, component-based design. By far the biggest advantage JSP Pages gains from Java is Java's vast set of APIs. From JavaMail™ to JavaBeans™ and Enterprise JavaBeans™, JNDI™, and JDBC™, Java has an extensive set of tools ready to implement into a JSP Page application. With the release of the Java 2 EnterpriseEdition™ (J2EE) JSP Pages now play a strategic role in Java application development. JSP provides the front end for enterprise Java applications on the web, and plays a vital role in developing scaleable, cross-platform software. As web applications become more sophisticated, the capabilities of JSP will grow. CORE JSP provides wide coverage of using JSP Pages in web applications, from learning the Scripting Elements, Actions, and Directives to integrating JSP Pages into existing Java applications and APIs. Part two of CORE JSP goes in-depth for the Java programmer who wants to create J2EE applications that integrate into other technologies such as DirectoryServices, SMTP mail, JavaBeans, XML, and XSLT. In addition, JSP implementation strategies such as JSP Model 2 and deployment strategies such as Web Archives (WARs) are reviewed. As a training guide for the JSP web developer, and as an in-depth programming reference for the Java architect, CORE JSP provides both the knowledge and the real-world examples needed to create today's cutting-edge web applications.
Rating:
Summary: Leaves you wondering
Review: The book has a lot of information about a lot of things but never nails down the subjects completely. For example, the book states you can do this, that and the next thing but never actually guides you through it.--> I guess you gotta spend [more money] to get that information. Another example is Chapter 11 on Custom tags. I read that chapter three times and still didn't get the point until I read some other literature on the subject. After that ordeal I felt as though my head had been used as a speed bag! I also have found errors in the code and that should not be. Don't these authors have someone test the examples before they put out the code? I wish the authors of computer books would just get to the point when they are trying to explain a subject(much the way Herbert Schildt does). I went through about 70% of the examples and found better ways to accomplish the same tasks on my own with less code. Learning programming is not difficult if the material is presented in an appropriate manner, however, this book will remain on my shelf and probably never be opened again. My advice -> Try another one!
Rating: 
Summary: Essential
Review: The careful reader will observe _Core JSP's_ chapters and examples extend further into areas of in-the-trenches applicability more than any other book on the subject. It's sitting on every one of our programmers' shelves.
Rating:
Summary: Lots of Typos and Bad examples
Review: The second edition of this book will be much better... I read this book cover to cover, and this edition has no less than 15 typos that could have easily been caught (I still don't know how they weren't!) and which disrupt reading. Some of the examples are just plain wrong, too... For example, according to "Core JSP", to add an element to a Vector in Java, one does "variable.add(Object)", which is wrong. It's "variable.addElement(Object)". Another example is this book's example on Prepared Statements. To use wild cards with Prepared Statements, one can't pass in a '%' as a string, but must pass it in to the PreparedStatement constructor (instead of prepStatement.addString (index, string) after the object is created). It can be done, but the PreparedStatement class interprets the '%' as the ASCII character value and tries to match it in the SQL rather than treating it as a wild card. The Core JSP authors use the '%' as a wild card and send it in as a string, though, which is completely wrong. I spent several HOURS trying to figure out what I was doing wrong when this wouldn't work, only to find at the Java 1.3 API site that the PreparedStatement class changes the '%' to the character value! How the author and editor allowed such thoughtless mistakes is beyond me. It worries me, too, and makes me wonder wether or not I can trust the advice of this book. Beware! I'd recommend O'Reilly's new book "JavaServer Pages" by Hans something-or-other.
Rating:
Summary: Strong like goat cheese. Smooth like fine wine.
Review: This book is an excellent primer and a quick-start to learning Java Server Pages (JSP). The authors write in a clear, concise manner and the reader gets an excellent grasp of the material by the time they are done with the book. In addition, there are some great additions that explain some new technologies like XML and how they can be utilized with JSP. This is an essential reference to JSP technology, and does not try to be a stupid Wrox box that tries to explain the history of the universe in 1100 pages with an ugly picture on the cover. Get this book!
Rating:
Summary: Want to know JSP and more!
Review: This book is not just JSP but more. The author tries to indulge the reader into other JAVA technologies like JNDI, XML,XSLT etc. Good for beginners as well as for those who have an understanding about JSP.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent book for JSP JDBC-to-Oracle developers
Review: This is a good book under any circumstances, and if you develop with Oracle, it is even better, because there are many examples of JSP and Oracle JDBC, and while JSP/JDBC is intended to be database independant, it is easier to learn when the code is written for the database you use. There is a lot of useful information that will help you speed up your connections, pooled connections (which Oracle supports), and techniques for using synchronized statement to protect them. Synchronization is familiar to thread users, but well explained if you aren't familiar with the concept. One thing the authors omit is setting autocommit off after making your JDBC connection. The idea of autocommit is to make JDBC "friendly" to certain non-Oracle databases, but if you understand transactions, you want to control when a commit occurs, and undo the entire transaction if you don't like it. To quote Tom Kyte, you never want to commit until you have to (slows database down) and you never want to commit part of a transaction. If your procedure should just update a single row, you can check the result before you commit. Setting all the banks accounts to zero may not be a transaction you will chose to commit. Checking a result is easier than explaining one. This is the kind of database specific information that perhaps authors writing for many platforms should ignore, but you may find it useful if you work with Oracle. The authors show you how to use bind variables with prepared statements, and callable statements, but don't really go into the downside of not taking their advice; if you don't use bind variables, you will not have a scalable application. A lot of JSP examples (even in Oracle documention) do not bother with bind variables (example code is shorter if you don't) but "Core JSP" shows you code that is proper for scalable applications, and you can follow it (use the examples you find elsewhere as concepts, not as code to put in your applications). This is a tiny portion of what this book will teach you, and if you are new to JSP and want to get a non-trivial application working, and scalable, this is a good place to start (also this is not an expensive book, which helps). This is all you need to get started, and see the value of JSP.
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