Hi everyone, and happy cinco de mayo.
I'm looking forward to jumping in on a bunch of threads this week. Unlike a lot of presentations I have given on Mashups, this is my first forum which addresses implementations related to a particular language. So it will be great to talk about some of the tools/resources available (commercial and otherwise) to help Java developers create mashups.
Mashups hold the promise of changing how we think about software development. As a long-time Java developer myself (I have an
SCEA from way back) I've had a lot of success in my "real life job" at a major financial firm using this technology to create solutions quickly. These have all been Java-based using a particular vendor tool (I won't mention the specifics in this message, but I'm happy to provide color commentary on specific products if I've worked with them).
My goal with the book is to explain the variety of problem domains where mashups can create value and increase productivity. In my own initial exploration in the space, I found most people viewed mashups through the narrow lens of "Stuff on a Google map". For the technical audience, I put forth a collection of
patterns organized into various categories (analogous to the Structural/Creational/Behavioral approach taken in the classic Design Patterns text). However, in lieu of code - since there are no common standards
yet- each Pattern is accompanied by a series of examples. These cover a variety of industries and should be approachable by the non-technical reader. My hope is that businesspeople will explore these sections and realize the new world of functionality mashups bring to the table. And of course, there is also a collection of Anti-patterns, because every new technology has its potential risks to be avoided.
As you can see, brevity is not always my strong suit. Once again, thanks for the opportunity to converse on the subject and I hope you find our discussions useful.