by Ted Neward
Published by Manning Publications Review by Glen Lewis When I first glanced through the contents of "Server-Based Java Programming" at the bookstore, I almost immediately put it back on the shelf. After all, it barely even mentioned J2EE. Who on earth writes a book about using Java on the server without covering J2EE? That's the hot technology and everyone is focusing on and certainly the basis for Java development on the server. Using an application framework provided by J2EE provides too much to ignore - why would you write anything else? Well, I was wrong. Here's how the story goes. I run a local Java user group. Manning Publications sent me a copy of this book for review by members of the group. I handed it out and went about my business. After all, it wasn't a book I was interested in. Well, the person I gave the book to was late turning in the review. Then late again. Hey, it's a user group and you just can't enforce the type of committment that you can otherwise. I ended up purchasing a copy of the book in order to write the review myself. I was already busy enough and didn't have time for this, so I wasn't necessarily happy about it. I set the book aside, waiting until absolutely the last minute. Finally I picked it up and started reading. Hours later and I still couldn't put it down. Ted Neward's book Java-Based Server Programming, published by Manning Publications covers much more than simple J2EE development. It gives you the tools you need in order to understand and develop your own servers, application or otherwise. While this may not seem important at the surface (see my own remarks earlier), it becomes readily apparent only a few pages in just how valuable these skills are. Having the depth of understanding that's presented in this book gives you the ability to write code of greater robustness than otherwise, whether you're writing J2EE apps or not. The first thing that struck my fancy was the discussion about the 3 zeroes - zero development, zero deployment, and zero administration. I've long been an advocate of building "lights out" systems - put it on the servers, shut off the lights and go home and wait for the checks. But Ted takes it beyond what I had considered. Lofty goals, no doubt, zero development, deployment & administration is exactly what we should be shooting for. As the saying goes, "Shoot for the stars and hit the sky, shoot for the sky and hit the mud." If that was all he had to say it would have been a good purchase, but Ted then goes on to describe and produce code that actually moves us toward these goals. I appreciated the frequent references to design patterns. In many circles patterns are new concepts that people are just starting to experiment with. It is refreshing to see a book where the audience is expected to understand them. UML is used where appropriate, adding yet more evidence that this is written by an architect and software engineer - not just someone throwing code together quick and dirty. It's not as though all the material in the book is new and doesn't exist elsewhere. There are many texts that cover threads and their proper use. Texts about n-tier architectures abound. Application frameworks are not new concepts; sockets, persistence, servlets, middleware and JNI have been around and are well-understood. The power comes through the stated objectives and the practical application of these different technologies in a holistic manner toward them that produces a very worthy text. Real-world, architecture-centric, holistic, practical, proven. All appropriate words to describe this book. Don't believe that one size fits all? Me either, and it's refreshing to see a work with the depth of this one. Don't know Java yet? Read some of the other fine books first. Then, when you understand the language and want to get serious about server-side development, get a copy of Server-Based Java Programming and dig in. Personally I consider the $50 I spent on this book one of the best purchases I've made. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get back into this book. It's 5am so I still have some time before I have to go to work... Glen Lewis,
Utah Java User Group
www.utahjava.org
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