Sebastopol, CA--Enterprise computing has a reputation for complexity and, for the uninitiated, is often surrounded by a shroud of mystery. Jim Farley, William Crawford, and David Flanagan, authors of the second edition of O'Reilly's bestselling Java Enterprise in a Nutshell (US $39.95), begin their introduction by explaining that enterprise computing is simply a synonym for distributed computing: computation done by groups of programs interacting over a network. Nevertheless, the authors tell us, distributed computing is significantly more complex than non-distributed computing. In a field that is known to be demanding and rapidly evolving, Java Enterprise developers find themselves challenged to keep up with the new APIs, tools, capabilities and pitfalls in J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition). The new Nutshell book, updated for Version 1.3 of J2EE, provides the fast-paced tutorials and quick reference material developers will need to master the intricacies of building ever-more complex applications with Java
"The perceived need for enterprise systems has boomed in recent years, and J2EE has garnered very broad support in the enterprise market, both from vendors of application servers, IDEs, management tools, etc., and from enterprise developers," explains co-author Jim Farley. "Enterprise systems are, by nature, complex; the goal of the J2EE framework is to simplify the development of enterprise systems, and the goal of this book is to simplify the understanding and practice of the J2EE framework. This book provides a single, concise reference for all of the key enterprise APIs included in the J2EE specification, for the increasing population of developers building systems in the J2EE framework."
"Enterprise systems are the fastest growing area of Java development, and have a tremendous economic impact," adds co-author Crawford. "The more programmers know about the capabilities of Java in the enterprise arena, the more competent they're going to be. Our book will help developers to look at an enterprise development problem and tackle it with a clear understanding of the capability of the tools at their disposal."
A tremendous number of new developments have occurred in the Java Enterprise space since the publication of the first edition of "Java Enterprise in a Nutshell" in 1999. The J2EE specs have been finalized and updated in version 1.3, and a new array of vendor implementations of the J2EE environment, as well as individual APIs and services, have become available. Says Farley, "The new edition of our book was widely requested by readers."
The new edition of "Java Enterprise in a Nutshell" provides tutorials on key Java APIs, including JDBC, RMI, Java IDL, Java Servlets and JavaServer Pages, JNDI, and Enterprise JavaBeans. It also covers JAXP, an API for XML parsing that allows enterprise applications to read and process XML data, and JavaMail, a set of programming libraries for sending and receiving email. The latter half of the book includes the trusted quick reference section for which the Nutshell series is known, covering all the classes in the various Enterprise APIs.
"Java Enterprise in a Nutshell, Second Edition" is part of the multi-volume set of quick references on which Java programmers have come to rely. It is a companion to "Java in a Nutshell, Fourth Edition," which covers the key nongraphical, non-enterprise APIs in Java 2, and "Java Foundation Classes in a Nutshell," which describes the graphics, printing, and GUI APIs in the Java 2 platform. A fourth volume, "J2ME in a Nutshell" covers the new Java 2 Micro Edition APIs and explores its use in limited-resource devices.
What the critics said about the first edition:
"I was worried when I bought this book that they were attempting to cover too much, but I think they have done a remarkable job. This book really is the most readable introduction to J2EE I have found so far. It's small enough to carry about (unlike the massive Wrox tomes), and the API reference can help to keep it useful after you've absorbed the introductory material. It even has a basic SQL reference, which you don't get in some JDBC books!"
--Frank Carver, Javaranch.com, November 2000"Overall, I was surprised by how well rounded this book was. It really is a useful Java Enterprise reference and it deserves a place of honour on my desk."
--Steve Cornish, Overload OL37, May 2000"'Java Enterprise in a Nutshell' gives advanced Java developers a one-stop resource for programming with the disparate APIs required for today's enterprise development, including JDBC, RMI, servlets, and EJB. Overall, this handy and readable guide to the latest in Java APIs can be truly invaluable to the developer bringing Java to the corporate enterprise for the first time."
--Richard Dragan, amazon.com, March 2000"It's hard not to like the Nutshell series from O'Reilly & Associates. It doesn't profess to do anything more than it tends to deliver: a clear, concise reference for a given domain. 'Java Enterprise in a Nutshell' is no different. It centers on the enterprise elements delivered by the Java platform, of which there are an increasing number released every year...it's a good book to have readily available while you're actually programming. This book is a good investment for most Java programmers. O'Reilly's Nutshell books are modestly priced and well formulated, providing much additional value through the brief overviews they provide and exploring each topic clearly and concisely. (I would) recommend it to anyone working professionally with Java, especially in the enterprise."
--Claude Duguay, DevX.com, March 2000"In depth coverage of various Java technologies that can be used in enterprise application development...a good balance of tutorial and reference material...in terms of Java technologies applicable to enterprise development, the book definitely delivers on its promise."
--Bradley Mitchell, about.com Guide to Intranets, November 1999
Additional resources:
Java Enterprise in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition
By Jim Farley, William Crawford & David Flanagan
ISBN 0-596-00152-5, 971 pages, $39.95 (US), $61.95 (CAN)
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000
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