Java(TM) Application Development on Linux(R) (Bruce Perens Open Source)

Rating:
Summary: Good overview of Java development under Linux
Review: Hi.
This book covers many aspects of Java development under Linux without losing the reader in the details. To achieve that, the authors gave many references throughout the book in order to direct the reader to more in depth coverage of the subject.
My only disappointment is not to find the hyperlink to the book's web site in introduction. Moreover, the site (www.javalinuxbook.com) does not contain much information to complement the book. For example, it would be great to find the list of all the hyperlinks given in reference in the book.

This book is not intended for beginners but initiates in OOP and Linux. An excellent book of reference, well written, strongly recommended for those whishing to begin Java development under Linux and don't know where to start!

Rating:
Summary: spans much Java usage
Review: I read this book with especial interest. For it pertains directly to my work environment of Java programming under linux. So I was curious to see what the authors have to say.

The book explains simple linux level commands like grep, find, tar and zip. Because in practical terms, your Java project will have files scattered across various directories. Outside of your source files, you'll need these commands for maintenance. Also, vi is covered, including its improved variant vim. The latter is nice since it has colour coding of Java keywords. Makes editing much easier.

Later on, the book covers the Sun and IBM SDKs. Free and easy to use. The data storage chapter is concise; perhaps too much so. For realistic applications using JDBC to hook to MySQL, Oracle or other databases, you may need more thorough coverage elsewhere. Likewise with the section on building a UI in Java. For completeness they have a brief discussion.

The authors also strive to include discussion of higher layers built in Java. For enterprise level applications. So they go into JSP, servlets and EJBs. Enough detail is given to understand the gist, and to see how to fit these together.

A commendable effort, given the vastness of current Java packages.

Rating:
Summary: Lots on Java, little about Linux
Review: I'm not sure why we needed this book. Java is supposed to be "write once, run anywhere" (WORA). And in general Java and it's related tools are pretty close to that. So what does a book about Java on Linux bring? A little bit of information about make, which you probably won't use, but will use Ant instead (which is also covered). And information on gcj, which is unique to Linux.

Most of the book is about generic Java application development. Database persistence work using the standard persistence tools (JDBC, EJB). Web development using Tomcat. And UI development with Swing and SWT. None of which is Linux specific. The IDEs that are covered, Netbeans and Eclipse, are also not Linux specific.

So can't it just be a general Java development book? Sure. And it is that. Problem is that we have a glut of Java books. And the coverage of any one topic in this book, say JDBC as an example, is not so deep as to replace JDBC specific books that you will get from other companies.

As it stands, this book is a good high level introduction to Java application development both on the web and on the desktop.

Rating:
Summary: Extremely readable, very informative, and deep without being
Review: Java was developed to be a cross-platform language. "Write Once, Run Anywhere" is the slogan, and an admirable ideal to attempt to reach. So when I first saw the title of the book Java Application Development on Linux, I expected to find descriptions of some idiosyncrasies in the Linux environment that affected the "Run Anywhere" part of the equation. What I got was a lot more.

The authors, Carl Albing and Michael Schwarz, chose to create a book that is a complete guide to writing commercial-quality Java programs. They focused on how to use the tools of Linux to assist in the creation of Java programs. The book is broken up into five major parts: Getting Started, Developing Business Logic, Developing Graphical User Interfaces, Developing Web Interfaces, and Developing Enterprise Scale Software. Each chapter is self-contained, and the reader can choose what they read without losing track. Each chapter starts with a summary of what you'll learn, and concludes with a "What You Still Don't Know" section.

Part I provides a 10-chapter overview of Linux, Java, the SDK's (Software Development Kits) from Sun and IBM, version control via CVS, and IDEs. The first two chapters cover a sampling of command-line Linux, plus the Vi editor to create your programs. Chapter 3 gives you a overview of the Java language, and Chapter 4 covers how the program can deal with the context in which it's running. The next two chapters cover Sun's SDK and IBM's development kit (briefly). Chapter 7 describes how to use the GNU Compiler for Java (gcj) to create native-code programs.

Larger programs definitely need some form of source control, so the widely available Concurrent Versioning System (CVS) is clearly described out. For building and deploying the numerous files of a larger project, Ant provides value beyond what the make facility can offer. Finally, Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) are covered. The focus is on NetBeans, but SunONE Studio Community Edition and Eclipse are also covered.

If the book stopped after Part I, you would still have a valuable addition to your bookshelf. However, Part II continues with a five-chapter discussion on how to get requirements, documentation, and buy-in; how to analyze the program and discover the objects to be created; automated testing with JUnit; storing data in databases using Oracle, PostgreSQL, and MySQL; and using the Java Database Connector (JDBC) to access them.

Most users want some form of a graphical user interface (GUI) to access the program and their data. Part III describe how to create a GUI using Swing and the Standard Widget Toolkit (SWT).

By far the most popular way to access programs is via a browser. Part IV describes Java Servlets and JSP (JavaServer Pages), and also talks about two Java-based web application servers (JBoss and Geronimo).

Finally, Part V covers Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs) in what the authors describe as "an almost criminally brief introduction". While it is definitely an overview, they still cover more than enough about EJBs to get you rolling. They wrap up the book with a plea for help. The book is an Open Content book, and therefore they are requesting comments, suggestions, and patch files to help improve the text and examples.

I have to admit that Java Application Development on Linux is an extremely readable, very informative, and deep without being lengthy book. The tone used by Carl and Michael was very conversational. I found it enjoyable, interesting, and highly informative. The only complaint I have is that they tried to cover a little too much in a single book. EJBs definitely warranted more coverage than they provided. In all, I rate it a 4 out of 5.

Rating:
Summary: Like ice cream and cookie dough
Review: Of course! Java and Linux make a great combination, and it's high time we had a practical guidebook for the full lifecycle. I could have poured through thousands of homebrewed man pages, but Albing and Schwarz distill all that into a readable, high-quality book. Well worth the investment.

Rating:
Summary: From Java newbie to Java developer in 567 pages
Review: When first embarking on a new journey into a programming language, the average traveler might want a map and a compass to show them where they are, where they're going and how to get there. If where you are is Java newbie and where you want to be is programming Java apps on the Linux platform, then _Java Application Development on Linux_ is a map and compass you can use to get from here to there.

This book is another in a long line of great technical reference books from Prentice Hall's Bruce Perens' Open Source Series. While some of the previous books I have revied from the series tended to be more in depth, this one has the benefit of starting out slow and covering all of the bases. You can know little to nothing about Java as a programming language and come out with a solid understanding of the fundamentals after the first few chapters. Anyone who has an object-oriented programming background will zip right through the opening pages, but for those that don't, spending a little more time will bring them into the ranks of the initiated.

All of the programming basics are covered, from constants to strings, from arrays to variables, and all of the fundamentals and not-so-fundamentals of object-oriented programming, like classes, methods, objects, properties and polymorphism. Then the reader is steadily moved along into more involved topics, like putting your Java classes into JAR files, how to use the Java debugger, the software development kit and so on. At the end of each chapter, there is a small section on what the reader still doesn't know. The purpose of this is to keep the reader clued in on their progress, explain what is to come and keep things moving along. All of which makes for a fast-flowing read. Generally this is hard to find in a technical book, many of which tend to be dry and boring for the most part with the index being the most read section.

By the end, the now initiated reader will explore programming applications for various interfaces and APIs, including Swing, SWT and JSP, and will even find out what JavaBeans are and how to use them and what JNDI is and how it can work for you.

With all that said, this is a fundamental resource book for anyone who would want to learn how to program Java applications under Linux. Much of the information can be borrowed to develop applications on other platforms as well. The introduction and first few chapters of this book are extremely informative and give the reader an excellent comprehension of Java as an object-oriented programming language and all of the fundamentals he will need to go further as an application developer. The later chapters tend toward information overload, and while the information is good, some things are skipped over to save time and space. It may have been better to separate this book into two different volumes, giving the second half twice as many pages and more room to breathe. But overall, this is still an excellent technical book and adequately achieves its main goal of making a beginner application developer out of a Java layman.

Rating:
Summary: Java Getting Platform Specific
Review: Yes, another Java book. And this time it is specifically about developing applications on Java to run on Linux.

What, Java is supposedly write once - run many so that it will work on just about any platform.

OK, when you are developing something it often turns out that you do something specific that makes it rather tied to a particular platform. And if you are starting out on the development of a business application today, you're likely to at least think about doing it on Linux. So this book concentrates on combining Linux with Java. That way it can talk about the wide range of libraries, tools, GUIs, and other developmental assistance that really begins to tie the operating system together with the programming language.

Probably some of the purists out there will complain, but this is a good place to start thinking about the application you need to write.