Professional Java for Web Applications

Book Preface

Though many don’t realize it, most people use Java every day. It’s all around you — it’s in your TV, in your Blu-ray player, and on your computer; some popular smart phones run a Javabased operating system; and it powers many of the websites you use every day. When you think of Java, you may naturally picture browser applets or desktop applications with user interfaces that don’t match other applications on the operating system. You may even think of that annoying system tray notification that tells you to update Java (seemingly) constantly. But Java is much more than just these daily, visible reminders you may be exposed to. Java is a powerful language, but much of its capability lies in the power of the platform. Although the Java SE platform provides indispensable tools for creating console, desktop, and browser applications, the Java EE platform extends this platform significantly to help you create rich, powerful web applications.

This book covers these tools and shows you how to create modern and useful enterprise Java web applications.

Who This Book Is For

This book is for software developers and engineers who already have a proficient knowledge in the Java language and the Java Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE). It is a self-guided, self-study book that existing Java developers can use to expand their Java knowledge and grow their skillset from applets or console or desktop applications to enterprise web applications. You can read this book from start to finish to cover all the topics in order, or you can pick and choose topics that interest you and use this book more as a reference. Although some chapters occasionally refer to examples from previous chapters, an effort was made to make each chapter as self-sustaining as possible. The examples are all available for download from wrox.com, which should help you when an example relies on another example from a previous chapter.

This book can also be useful for developers with existing Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE) experience who want to refresh their skills or learn about new features in the latest Java EE version. Software architects might also find this book useful because it covers several web software development concepts and patterns in addition to specific tools and platform components. This book could help architects apply new ideas to their teams’ projects and processes. If you’re a manager of a software development team, you may also find this book helpful. Undoubtedly you strive every day to communicate effectively with the developers and engineers that you oversee. By reading this book, you can expand your knowledgebase, understand the tools your developers use to more successfully communicate, and make recommendations to your team to solve certain problems. After reading this book, you may also decide to purchase several copies for your team to improve their skillsets and apply the concepts within your projects.

Finally, teachers and students can apply this book to a classroom environment. Used as a textbook, it can be invaluable for 300 and 400 level courses to instruct students in real-world skills that can help them succeed in the workplace beyond graduation.