Enterprise Java Programming with IBM Websphere [With CDROM]

OK, so this isn't a beginner's text. It has literally thousands (yes, thousands) of typos. Why 5 stars? This is simply the best book on explaining and demonstrating J2EE concepts that I've read, and I've read many. It's virtually impossible to find this much valuable info in one place. And please, don't bash this book until you've read the whole thing (which you may need to do more than once!).The code on the CD works. As far as showing incomplete printed examples, do you really want every line of code printed in the book? Given the level of developer this book targets, they strike a fine balance of what goes on the existing 900 pages and what can be browsed on the CD. The only topic I had trouble digesting was their discussion on Mapper Objects (Ch. 16), but it's easy enough to understand the code.I have yet to find a large technical book without lots of errors. I would rate the editing job on this book as 1.5 stars because of the abundance of seemingly careless typos. However, they're minor annoyances that don't detract from this technically correct marvel of a book. As developers, we need useful information. This book more than delivers and is worth every penny.

First, in the spirit of full disclosure and honesty: I know Kyle professionally as we are colleagues at IBM. However this isn't what causes me to pick up this book several times a week; it's the quality of the content of the book that makes it a frequent reference and source of learning.J2EE was created to provide a standard framework to create complex, distributed, enterprise applications. Therefore I must take exception with the reader below who complains that this book is "not for a beginner". To enjoy this book in its entirety it is necessary that you are at least aware of the problems of distributed computing (concurrency, data synchronization, connecting to disparate data sources, etc.) and want to learn how to optimally use the IBM WebSphere implementation of J2EE to deal with these problems.This book is the definitive reference to J2EE application development with IBM WebSphere Application Server and IBM WebSphere Studio Application Developer. Kyle and the other authors do an admirable job of "condensing" a vast body of knowledge and associated best practices into "only" 900 pages. This is the only book I know that covers all of the key topics of J2EE to a satisfactory level of detail within one book.The thing that makes this book great is its combination of comprehensiveness and guidance towards using the platform correctly. As the saying goes, "a fool with a tool is still a fool", and J2EE's complexity in the hands of an untrained development team can have disastrous consequences. Therefore it is vitally important that you first understand the forces you are fighting against (i.e. the challenges of distributed computing) and then understand which J2EE technologies address these problems. Once you understand which problems you are trying to solve and which technologies help you solve these problems, it is necessary to understand how to optimally use these technologies. This book does an excellent job of explaining the problems, the applicable technologies, and best practices for applying the technologies.Another excellent thing about this book is that the authors are obviously passionate about the technologies involved but they are not victims of hype. For instance, the first section of the first chapter on web services (ch. 32) is titled "If Web Services Is the Solution, What's the Problem?" It provides an excellent dose of pragmatism by taking a step back and answering the question, "What problems do the Web Services technologies help me solve, and what problems will they not help me solve?" Many other books simply treat Web Services as a panacea for all technological problems.If you're developing with WebSphere you need to read this book. If you're developing with a J2EE platform other than WebSphere (shame on you), you will likely still find this book useful for the J2EE best practices it conveys that are not specific to WebSphere.PS - If you are new to distributed computing and want to use J2EE, the best place to start i

The design advice contained in this book in invaluable for anyone building Enterprise Java applications. It's not just about programming but about architecture and design. The forward by Martin Fowler says it all: "If you're a WebSphere developer, buy this book for its tutorial on WebSphere, but treasure it for its design advice. If you don't develop in WebSphere, or even J2EE, get this book for its design advice anyway." The book is well organized, has great examples, and is easy to use as either a text-book or "how to" and as a reference for more experienced readers. The chapters on "developing and testing" (servlets, JSPs, domain models) are practical, comprehensive and easy to follow. This book isn't just theoretical - it really takes you through having something up and running on your machine. Buy this book and keep it on your desk.

I had the good fortune to be given a pre-release version of this book. I have found it a great guide for coming up to speed on WebSphere 3.5 and VisualAge for Java 3.5 and for understanding the design and architecture issues of J2EE. As a consultant, I will highly recommend this book to any of my clients using WebSphere. I will also encourage clients using J2EE with other tools to read the technology and design chapters of this book.The book's core value goes far beyond the WebSphere and VisualAge specific content to provide application architecture and design guidance for J2EE applications. The book winds it's way through the complexity of J2EE to highlight the key issues and choices in designing a JSP, Servlet, and EJB application. It provides clear examples of various complexities that can provide a starting point for developing your applications. Of particular value are discussions on when to use EJBs, scaling considerations in handling client session, and design patterns for multi-tiered applications.The book provides clear, concise introductions to the key technologies you need to build J2EE applications: HTTP, Servlets, JSP, client session management, JDBC, and EJB. It teaches the reader how to use the key aspects of VisualAge and WebSphere to build applications. The authors made excellent choices on which aspects of VisualAge and WebSphere to focus on.No one developing WebSphere applications should be without this book!

I reviewed the pre-publish version. The book's examples and tutorial thread are built around the IBM WebSphere toolset -- a huge advantage for those who've made the commitment. Kyle addresses many common issues in web development by proposing "best practices" solutions, plus rational behind other alternative approaches. This "why is this the better way" style appeals to me, avoiding the simple "here's how you do X" approach so prevalent in today's technical litterature.I've made this book a must-read for my WebSphere consulting engagements. It certainly saves me LOTS of time explaining how to use the WebSphere products -- and most importantly explaining *WHY* its suggested approaches work best!