You're quite right that "framework" is a broad (and sometimes misused) term. I go into that in some detail in the book, and the frameworks reviewed are divided up by category to make it clearer (e.g. whole-application frameworks, persistence frameworks, presentation/UI framworks, etc)
I thought Xerces was just a tool/API as well at first, but with bit of digging I found it actually is more of a framework, with pluggable implementations, a component structure, several different APIs, etc. That's why I thought it made an interesting example on the "border" of what a framework is.
What your describing sounds a bit like a project I'm involved with, Keel, a "meta-framework" for lack of a better term. Application-logic oriented, framework independant, switchable implementations (we just added an implementation to use Hibernate for one choice as persistence, for example). Quickly looking at the sandbox.org site, it sounds like there might be a lot of synergy between the two. Feel free to drop me an email directly if you want to kick that thought around a bit...
Mike
The book covers Java frameworks, primarily web-application frameworks, and discusses how to compare in general, and goes into detail on:
Avalon, Cocoon, Expresso, Arch4j, ArsDigita ACSJ, Turbine, Wakesoft Architecture Server, Niggle Systinet's WASP, realMethods, Brazil OpenSymphony, JSF (not quite a framework per se, but covered), Struts, Maverick, Scope, WebMacro, Velocity, Tapestry, Barracuda, HyperQbs, Tea, Freemarker, Echo, Xerces, Xalan, Axis, Slide, Roaming Wireless Framework, JADE, Openadaptor, JUnit, Anteater, Jetspeed, OpenPortal, uPortal, Simper, Object/Relational Bridge, Castor, jRelational, Batik and Keel, along with mentioning more briefly a lot of others.
(disclosure: I'm the author - of the book, not the review - so opinions may be biased:-)
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You're quite right that "framework" is a broad (and sometimes misused) term. I go into that in some detail in the book, and the frameworks reviewed are divided up by category to make it clearer (e.g. whole-application frameworks, persistence frameworks, presentation/UI framworks, etc)
I thought Xerces was just a tool/API as well at first, but with bit of digging I found it actually is more of a framework, with pluggable implementations, a component structure, several different APIs, etc. That's why I thought it made an interesting example on the "border" of what a framework is.
Mike
What your describing sounds a bit like a project I'm involved with, Keel, a "meta-framework" for lack of a better term. Application-logic oriented, framework independant, switchable implementations (we just added an implementation to use Hibernate for one choice as persistence, for example). Quickly looking at the sandbox.org site, it sounds like there might be a lot of synergy between the two. Feel free to drop me an email directly if you want to kick that thought around a bit... Mike
The book covers Java frameworks, primarily web-application frameworks, and discusses how to compare in general, and goes into detail on:
:-)
Avalon, Cocoon, Expresso, Arch4j,
ArsDigita ACSJ, Turbine,
Wakesoft Architecture Server, Niggle
Systinet's WASP, realMethods, Brazil
OpenSymphony,
JSF (not quite a framework per se, but covered),
Struts, Maverick, Scope, WebMacro,
Velocity, Tapestry, Barracuda, HyperQbs,
Tea, Freemarker, Echo, Xerces, Xalan,
Axis, Slide, Roaming Wireless Framework,
JADE, Openadaptor, JUnit, Anteater,
Jetspeed, OpenPortal, uPortal, Simper,
Object/Relational Bridge, Castor,
jRelational, Batik and Keel,
along with mentioning more briefly a lot of others.
(disclosure: I'm the author - of the book, not the review - so opinions may be biased
Mike