J2EE 1.4 : The Big Picture

Rating:
Summary: Just what I needed
Review: I am a nongeek in the J2EE world and have finally found a book that tells me what I actually need to know. I feel I have a much better grasp of J2EE, EJBs, Jsps, and so on now that I have The Big Picture. There's a lot of good high level information on the point of J2EE, the "from the beginning" rationale that doesn't get enough play. There are some code
examples showing how you put together EJBs, some examples of JSPs and servlets, but in general the book doesn't go off the deep end with too much technical detail. (Which is where the other books lose me.) There is also a very informative chapter on Web services that a nice explanation of how they work, plus what they're good for and some disadvantages.


Rating:
Summary: Excellent Investment
Review: This book does an excellent job of introducing the higher level concepts and guidelines of J2EE architecture. It's well written, clear, accurate, and welcoming. I've already bought copies for friends.

Rating:
Summary: Could have been a lot better
Review: This is a book that could have been a lot better. The main goal of the book, and one at which it generally succeeds, is to give you an overall view of what J2EE is and how it fits into an overall IT strategy. The advantages and disadvantages of each piece of J2EE are discussed. There is very little code in the book (and what is in there could have easily been left out without any loss of clarity) so if you are looking for a book to show you how to write programs then this is not the book for you.

The book has some serious drawbacks. First, the authors of this book are trying desperately to reach some level of geek coolness with mentions of The Simpsons, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Pulp Fiction, and with the use of deliberate (at least I think it is deliberate) poor grammar and spelling. But after awhile it just gets annoying. The book is probably twice as long as it needed to be because of the authors' desire to try to make the book fun. But unlike the Head First books, the "fun" here just gets tedious and turns short discussions into long and confusing discussions. (Why is a J2EE server like a dolphin? Does it like fish?) The book is also repetitive. For example, the discussion of session beans on page 48 is repeated almost verbatim (including the same picture) on page 139. The book does not cover JavaServer Faces and makes only a minimal mention of Struts. None of the other open source frameworks are discussed at all.

Overall, the information in the book is accurate and there is really no other book on the market that covers the material at this level (which is why it is getting 4 stars and not 3). The authors apparently know their stuff but the book could have been a lot better.


Rating:
Summary: A must buy for every IT persons
Review: Whether you are an expert in Java or not, this book will tell you what exactly you want to learn and know about J2EE.

This is a must have book for anyone who is working as a Java programmer.

You will learn all the J2EE concepts, which you will not get even if you go for a 3-day intensive training on J2EE.

I very much enjoyed every chapter of this book even though some topics have been repeated. This book explains all the components under J2EE in a very simple but effective way. Each chapter also has a brief summary of what it's going to cover and its also addressed well later. Java Server Faces is not covered.

Best book to buy and read when you have free time or on the journey.

Rating:
Summary: hits the nail on the head
Review: You know how most java books go from Hello World directly to Now Write Your Own Banking System From Scratch?
Not so here. Haugland & co. illuminate the concepts crucial to understanding this new revision of the language so you can actually make use of the platform without spending forever wading through code samples.
It will make your job easier.