TERRIBLE
This book trying to cover everything among three-tier design within 470 pages, which is impossible. In order to understand this book, I need to read other books, like "Javaservlet" and "Beginning XML". But after I finish those reading, this book is not necessary anymore, so why wast time on this book? Some of the programs in this book are not executable and even worse.....some figures (screen shot) are misplaced.
My opinion of this book is "terrible"!
fustrating
I haven't finished the book yet but found it confusing. The examples are not completed, the reader doesn't have an example of the completed exersize. The author assumes the reader is using apache and tomcat servers. I don't know anyone using them, most developers I know use windows 2000 or NT, running IIS. JDOM is still beta and there's a whole chapter dedecated to JDOM, where it could have been spent on explaining SAX and DOM in further detail by applying useful simple examples. Overall I'm not impressed with the book. Better to read it at the book store and look for something better to purchase. Look for a text that uses IIS and not tomcat and apache, unless you are running those servers. This is not a beginners book, also purchase a JAVA/JSP text.
Don't be amazed by this book.
This book tries to cover so many things at once --XML, Java, DB concepts, tools, Servlets, -- that it ends up teaching technically nothing. About half the contents of the book are XML non-related stuff.The author tries to cover such a programming language like Java in 470 pages of so many things, that he even does some bad practice! For example, he starts teaching a way of reading the contents of a file in Java, and two pages after the example he explain the Exceptions issue. If you're a Java newbie, you'll be on a big trouble unless you read the whole chapter before typing anything. The author even tries to explain the relational database concept by ilustrating it with an Excel sheet!
I must confess that this book covers just the basics, since it wastes too much time in things it can't cover. This book would be better if it talks about XML only, and leaves Java and other subjects to the pros.
If you want to "get serious" (like the author says), then buy a book that goes deep into this matter, a book that doesn't talk about everything just to mention a bit of each.
Good Concept, but
In my opinion, The concept would have been good if the content was not so inept. The source code that was associated with this book was dismal, virtually useless. Many times the source code would not give the results in the book, so I found myself doing more trobleshooting than learning.Both Que and the author should be ashamed of distributing such an inferior product.
Clearly Explained
This book is an excellent introduction of XML, as well as XSLT, XSLFO, in conjunction working with Java and SOAP. It clearly explains the fundamental concepts one needs to build a strong foundation. In learning a developer can see how XSL could replace JSP. This will definitely be an interesting battle to watch.
