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Java Web Services in a Nutshell
I expected this book to be similar to other "Nutshell" books that I like and am familiar with: a very accurate and concise description of the domain, followed by a huge API reference. Well, I was pleasantly surprised: this book reads more like a tutorial, yet it is a reference in the sense that you can easily read its parts independently, and its index is quite useful and complete.
The book covers all technologies necessary for defining, implementing, and deploying Web Services for both client and server sides:
- WSDL (Web Services Definition Language), the XML-based interface definition language (and more); CORBA folks: this is your IDL for the Web Services platform, only not as easily read or understood. Not to worry: there are GUI-based editors for this thing, many of them are free. Plus the book explains WSDL format and structure in a great detail.
- JAXR, a client-side interface for extraction of business and service information from the compliant Web Service registries.
- JAX-RPC (two chapters: basic and advanced); at the application level this technology is similar to CORBA using Java.
- JAXM, a high level standard-based generic interface to messaging that is implemented by a messaging provider. It offers the benefits of asynchronous messaging, robust message delivery, and message profiles (use of SOAP message headers).
- SAAJ is a low-level Java interface to SOAP; under the hood some of the mentioned technologies use it.
For each of these technologies the author dedicates enormous effort to showing intricate but very relevant technical details without obscuring the big picture. There is a necessary but not overwhelming amount of Java code and XML. You will be able to reuse the examples since they are very clear.
The book has a chapter on Web Services tools and configuration files. This is a very helpful chapter: the business of defining deployment descriptors by hand is a messy job; presence of this chapter makes the job a bit easier. A small but helpful API reference may be found at the end of the volume.
If you need to understand the details of how to build, implement, and deploy Web Services, you will not be disappointed. There is absolutely no hype in this book! Considering the topic, nowadays this alone is an achievement.
Web Services technology is not the "Web Stuff," it is not related to browsing the WWW, and it does not pertain to the services offered by the WWW vendors (unless Web Services is what they sell). It is a fast-growing technology for programming in the distributed computing environment. Judging by the hype and money being spent on it by the leading powerhouses, it is going to be very prolific and important technology in the near future. Want to know more? -- Read the book!
You can purchase Java Web Services in a Nutshell from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
What next? A duplicate article posting?
Mebbe I'll review "HTML formatting in a Nutshell" for them.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
libTurtle SDK on the Half Shell.
WINE in a Cask.
The freshmeat.net Handbook from the Butcher.
I love all the silly food/drink references we deal with every day in the IT field.
/* * pope1 */
You think that they'll get the hint?
Where's your damned 'Preview' Button now?
in a computer case? I mean, size and insulation of a nutshell are going to lead to overheating quite quickly.
I have to go buy a side-scrolling mouse, brb
Does anyone know if they cover JAX-OFF?
No. This API has not been shown to scale well into a team environment making it unsuitable for "enterprise" deployments. It also has problems where projects that use it tend to be exhausted before fully satisfying the requirements. Even further diminishing this API's future is its tendancy to get very little real work done in spite of its network bandwidth consumption.
JAX-OFF is slated to be replaced, soon, by a better ground-up implementation of the Java API for Occidental Rectilinear Groupware Interfacing. This new API promises much better scaling potential, where any number of people and businesses can join into the web services phenomenon. It also has a very low learning curve, where practically anyone is capable of making money with it.
Healthcare article at Kuro5hin
Bring back the kid with the toad in a jar, I liked his show and tell better.
You are so right, though, this review reminds me so much of kids in 5th grade copying the back cover text of a book they read, then submitting it as a book report.
Problem is we're running out of names in IT. If not Web Services then what?
... taken ... taken ... taken ... taken ... taken
Network Services
Remote Services
Shared Services
Pluggable Services
Grid Services
We need a new name, something that's kinda "Net" but not used yet. How about "Scattered" or "Decentralized", or are those taken too? I think a good acronym would have been less confusing and more importantly would result in fewer questions.
Anyhow, a lot of words just to say "I agree", the "Web" portion just serves to confuse the folks who approve the budgets.
Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws-Plato
One of the few times geeks use soap.
O'Reilly's latest offering, FOO in a Nutshell, dispells many of the myths surrounding FOO and shows it to be a worthy contender in the BAR arena. Even though BAZ, QUX, and QUUX have been proposed as alternatives to FOO, only FOO provides the full power of SNERGLE to MUMBLE programmers.
Chapter 1 is the introduction, chapters 2-73 are the stuff that comes after the introduction, and then comes the index, which has some really good stuff in it.
So, in short, FOO in a Nutshell is better than anything else at explaining why you should incorporate DWEEZIL into your FLARK.
Rating: 9.5/10
That's "Mr. Soulless Automaton" to you, Bub.