Art of Java Web Development

[Ben Dover]

Hi Neal,
Your book seems to cover a broad range of frameworks, tools and API's. The major concern I have with books of this ilk is two-fold:
1. How the tools all come together, using simple but non-trivial examples.
2. Good guidelines as to which tool to use and when to use it above competing simlar tools.
Also, it must have been hard leaving some things out, such as Maverick, or Maven, or even XDoclet, to name but a few. Were the tools you chose for the book put together to fit a philosophy you had in mind, or simply what you have best experience with?
Thanks.

[Leon Wang]

I have checked the contents of book. It is very good.
From current point of view, stuts may be the best solution for MVC automatocally.
Leon

[Neal Ford]

Your book seems to cover a broad range of frameworks, tools and API's. The major concern I have with books of this ilk is two-fold:
1. How the tools all come together, using simple but non-trivial examples.
2. Good guidelines as to which tool to use and when to use it above competing simlar tools.

1. The frameworks are compared head to head, writing the same application in each. This allows an "apples to apples" comparison, to see how the same thing differs just by fitting into the framework.
The other non-framework stuff (commons pooling, logging, Axis) appear in the context of a "normal" Model 2 application. One of the themes of the book is a clean separation of responsibilities, and the use of the other open source tools always adhere to that principal. The examples are not as trivial as the common tutorial samples. For example, they all talk to databases, using connection pools, and generally strive towards real applications.
2. The entire 11th chapter of the book talks about evaluating frameworks, and provides criteria for doing so. Even if you are interested in a framework that doesn't appear in the book, these guidelines apply to any framework (and, really, any utilitarian code base that you want to use, either open source or not).

Also, it must have been hard leaving some things out, such as Maverick, or Maven, or even XDoclet, to name but a few. Were the tools you chose for the book put together to fit a philosophy you had in mind, or simply what you have best experience with?

The most painful part of the book was picking and choosing what I wanted to cover. I wanted primarily Model 2 based frameworks for Part 2 of the book, but that was really the only criteria. It wasn't just the ones I have experience with either -- I knew virtually nothing about a couple of them befre I started doing research. In the end, I tried to pick representative and popular ones. Maybe AWJD Volume 2 can pick up some others!

[Yi Zhang]

Which level of Java Developer is suitable to read this book?
I am curious about that because I am a SCJP and willing to learn more.

[Ko Ko Naing]

Originally posted by Yi Zhang:
Which level of Java Developer is suitable to read this book?
I am curious about that because I am a SCJP and willing to learn more.

Welcome to the Ranch, Yi Zhang!!!
Yes, the book is suitable for intermediate level of Java knowledge... Of course, u can follow up, if u want to... U r an SCJP... I'm sure if u just know something about J2EE and have te willingness to learn things, then u will be able to catch up the topics in the book for sure...
The following thread might encourage you about the book...
https://coderanch.com/t/47494/Struts/author