Professional Java

What is this book about?

Professional Java builds upon Ivor Horton''s Beginning Java to provide the reader with an understanding of how professionals use Java to develop software solutions.  Pro Java  starts with an overview of best methods and tools for developing Java applications.   It then examines the the more sophisticated and nuanced parts of the Java JDK.  The final and most extensive part of the book shows how to implement these ideas to build real-world applications, using both Java APIs as well as related Java open source tools.  In short, this book provides a comprehensive treatment of the professional Java development process, without losing focus in exhaustive coverage of isolated features and APIs. 

Java continues to be the dominant language for building server applications, and the latest update to the Java platform—JDK 5—boasts many new features, including a metadata facility, generics, autoboxing, and improved user interface performance. Building upon Ivor Horton''s Beginning Java, this book provides insight into these sophisticated features of JDK 5 and shows you how to master the more advanced aspects of this evolving and complex language.

Beginning with an overview of the best tools and techniques for developing Java applications, the expert author team then discusses how to use Java to develop software solutions for common challenges. Several real-world examples provide you with a well-rounded survey of the professional Java development landscape, which will help you master both the core Java language as well as the intricacies of JDK 5.

What you will learn from this book

• When to use Java open source tools such as Ant and JUnit
• Techniques to implement, save, and restore functionality to your applications
• How to interact with other language libraries using Java Native Interface
• Ways to communicate between Java components
• Methods to secure and deploy your Java applications
• How to produce a configurable process architecture
• How to exploit common patterns in Java

Who this book is for

This book is for Java developers who are looking for an all-purpose resource, are ready for more advanced Java solutions and language features, and need a bit of assistance when tackling new Java problems that may be outside their technological experience.

W. Clay Richardson is a software consultant concentrating on agile Java solutions for highly specialized business processes. He has fielded many Java solutions, serving in roles including senior architect, development lead, and program manager. He is a coauthor of More Java Pitfalls and Professional Portal Development with Open Source Tools (Wiley). As an adjunct professor of computer science for Virginia Tech, Richardson teaches graduate-level coursework in object-oriented development with Java. He holds degrees from Virginia Tech and the Virginia Military Institute.

Donald Avondolio is a software consultant with over 19 years of experience developing and deploying enterprise applications. He began his career in the aerospace industry developing programs for flight simulators and later became an independent contractor, crafting health-care middleware and low-level device drivers for an assortment of mechanical devices. Most recently, he has built e-commerce applications for numerous high-profile companies, including The Home Depot, Federal Computer Week, the U.S. Postal Service, and General Electric. He is currently a technical architect and developer on several portal deployments. Don serves as an adjunct professor at Virginia Tech, where he teaches progressive object-oriented design and development methodologies, with an emphasis on patterns.

Joe Vitale has been working as a developer for the last ten years. He has worked significantly with the latest Java technologies and also the most-popular open source technologies on the market. Besides being a developer, Vitale is coauthor of Professional Portal Development with Open Source Tools (Wiley), which had a strong focus on open source development and the Java Portlet API formally known as JSR 168. Joe currently works for McDonald Bradley as a development manager, where he manages more than 50 developers.

Scot Schrager has consulted extensively in the domains of pharmaceuticals, supply chain management, and the national security market. He has led and participated in various project teams using Java and Object Oriented Analysis & Design techniques. Most recently, Schrager has been focused on distributed application architecture using J2EE technology.

Mark W. Mitchell has extensive experience in enterprise application integration, particularly Web Services integration between Java and the Microsoft platform. He has developed and deployed several mission-critical Web applications. Mitchell holds a degree in computer science from the University of Virginia.

Jeff Scanlon is a senior software engineer at McDonald Bradley in Herndon, Virginia. Scanlon holds both the Sun Certified Java Developer and Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer certifications and has been published in Software Development magazine.