[ajug-members] Learning Java EE...what is best book?

[Barry Hawkins]

Parna,
    I'll jump in here.  Here are some questions that I would ask before
purchasing resources on Java EE:

1.) Which edition of Java Enterprise stuff do I need to learn? J2EE 1.4?
Java EE 5?  A book about JEE 5 would get possibly get you hooked on
stuff you can't use if you're stuck on a J2EE 1.4 app server, and the
inverse of that scenario is another obvious undesirable.

2.) *What* do I need to learn about Java EE?  It is a big, fat umbrella
specification that encompasses a ream of other specifications.  If you
are new to web programming altogether, the answer is different than if
you have done distributed systems with a web client tier in C++ and your
employer has said you're migrating to EJB3.

3.) What do I need to learn *outside* of Java EE?  Once you the concepts
of Java web programming down, you'll find that much of your productivity
with Java EE application servers will come from frameworks outside of
Java.  For instance, the reason Rod's 2002 book on J2EE 1.4 hasn't been
updated is that it was superceded by his "J2EE Development Without EJB"
and that was followed by "Professional Java Development with Spring".
Those titles could be hints to one initial framework to pursue.

Best wishes,
Barry

Parna Hiram wrote:
> On 4/18/07, *Kevin Brown* <kevin.brown at air2web.com
> <mailto:kevin.brown at air2web.com>> wrote:
> 
>     Maybe one of the Rod Johnson books?
> 
> 
> Kevin, reference my point in the original email:
> 
> "The Rod Johnson book has received rave reviews but was published in
> 2002. I suppose much has changed since then. Still, it appears to be
> deemed a classic, and I wonder if it would cover all the basics enough
> to grow from there and understand more recent changes. "
> 
> Is 2002 too old? Would I be hurting myself by starting there?
[...]

-- 
Barry Hawkins
All Things Computed
site: http://www.alltc.com
weblog: http://www.yepthatsme.com

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