Core J2EE Patterns: Best Practices and Design Strategies

<pre>Author/s : Deepak Alur, John Crupi, Dan Malks
Publisher : Prentice Hall
Category : J2EE & Distributed Computing
Review by : Thomas Paul - Bartender, November 2001
Rating : 10 horsehoes</pre>
Not another line of code for Servlets, JSPs, or EJBs should be written by anyone who hasn�t read this book and understood the concepts explained. This book is about best practices in designing and coding J2EE applications. The lessons explained here were developed by the Sun Java Center based on their work in the field. As they developed applications for clients they noticed that the same problems occurred over and over again. This book documents the standard solutions to solve these problems that were built as a catalog of design patterns and best practices.
Part 1 is an introduction to design patterns and the J2EE platform. Part 2 is a catalog of bad practices (the authors describe these as, "less than optimal ways to solve problems"), and refactorings (ways to correct these problems). Developers working with poorly designed J2EE applications will find this section especially helpful.
In Part 3, fifteen separate design patterns and strategies are explained. Each pattern is described in detail with the motivation for using the pattern and the design goals to be achieved. UML class and sequence diagrams are included along with detailed code examples that serve to further clarify the pattern. These patterns aren�t theoretical constructs but rather are practical strategies that can be applied to real world applications. Using the strategies in this book will make you more productive and your code easier to understand and maintain.
Anyone designing, architecting, or coding with J2EE will find this book to be extremely useful.
More info at Amazon.com
More info at Amazon.co.uk
More info at FatBrain.com
[This message has been edited by Johannes de Jong (edited December 05, 2001).]

Hi Johannes.
I've seen a couple of comment about this book arguing it is nothing more that what already exists on java.sun.com
Do you share this opinion or do you really think the book has a added value ?
------------------

I think the book has a great deal of value. Although it is true that some of the information in the book is on the Sun site, the book has greatly expanded on the topics. But even if all the info was available on a web site, having it in book form is worth much more. If this were not true, why would anyone bother buying "Thinking in Java"?

You're right Thomas, and you successed in making me laugh, which is not easy at 9 am

Thanks

Originally posted by Thomas Paul:
If this were not true, why would anyone bother buying "Thinking in Java"?

Greetings.
just a question.
If I had to make a purchase choice between "Core J2EE" and "Professional Java Server Programming 1.3", what are the points are should consider ?
Can these books be compared or are they really in 2 differents domains ?

They are really two different domains. "Core J2EE" is designed for the person who already knows the syntax of J2EE development and is looking for information on how to design an application. It helps you choose the correct way to divide your application to avoid mixing, for example, business and presentation logic.

<pre>Author/s : Deepak Alur, Dan Malks, John Crupi
Publisher : Prentice Hall
Category : J2EE
Review by : Thomas Paul
Rating : 9 horseshoes</pre>
There are two obvious changes between this second edition and the first edition
of this book. First, some new patterns have been added mostly dealing with web
services. Second, the book has been released as a hard cover book, presumably
because the publisher expects this to last on your shelf as long as the original
"Design Pattern" book. The new patterns dealing with web services are a welcome
addition to the book although anyone who is interested in this subject will
probably want more detail such as found in Paul Monday's book.
Part 1 is an introduction to design patterns and the J2EE platform followed by a
catalog of design considerations, bad practices and refactorings. Part 2 is the
collection of design patterns and strategies. Each pattern is described in a
format which will remind you of the GoF book. Since this has become the standard
format for presenting design patterns this should not be a surprise. The
patterns are well thought out, explained clearly, and demonstrated with some
good code samples. If you have the first edition you will be very impressed with
the improvements made in this new edition. It appears that virtually every
pattern has been reworked to make the pattern easier to understand and use.
This is the book that every J2EE architect and programmer should have on their
desk. Anyone designing, architecting, or coding with J2EE will find this book to
be extremely useful.

More info at Amazon.com
More info at Amazon.co.uk

One question, Thomas. If the 2nd ed is an improvement (which it is - I own both), why is the first rated 10 horshoes and the second rated 9?

The first book was revolutionary at the time. The 2nd edition is just evoluntionary, which is not to say that is such a bad thing. This book is simply amazing in its quality.

I think my main reason was that when the first edition came out, there was really nothing to compare it to. Today there are several books which are better in parts. For example, I think the web services part of the book needs some work which is why I recommended Paul Monday's book if that is what you are interested in. But Chris is correct that this is a great book. From my review:
"This is the book that every J2EE architect and programmer should have on their desk. Anyone designing, architecting, or coding with J2EE will find this book to be extremely useful."
The book is still excellent but it is no longer the only book you need for J2EE design patterns. Close, though.

[ September 10, 2003: Message edited by: Thomas Paul ]