Review: Not Just Java

As part of the on-going book reviews, Pater sent in a review of Peter van der Linden's Not Just Java. A good book for covering recent developments, this isn't a programming book per se, but provides lots of general knowledge. Read the review below.

REVIEW: Not Just Java Peter van der Linden (Sun Microsystems Press ISBN 0-13-864638-4) Nutshell Review: Not a book for geeks, but many different technologies are covered. Clearly defines what each is/isn't capable of. Rating: 7/10 Reviewed by Pater

What's Good?

This book covers lots of new developments, such as Java, multi-tiered systems, thin clients, CORBA, IIOP, and ActiveX. This book is perfect for someone who is upgrading technology and needs a broad overview of what is available and where computers are headed in the future. I already know of many people who I would give this book to so that they can finally understand all the buzzwords they like to throw around. This book takes a hard look at each item, noting strengths and weaknesses.

I like the fact that the capabilities of each are cleary outlined, without going into a lot of detail. You can tell if something is going to work for you, without having to learn it all first. Also, the book takes a holistic approach when tackling topics. Ease of use, security, and feasibility are outlined for Java, ActiveX, and the rest.

What's Bad?

This book is different in that what's bad for some people is very good for others. If you remember surfing the web with Mosaic, you can skip the first two chapters, as they are basically glorified internet history. If the whole networking concept is new to you, then the beginning chapters are full of useful information that will give you a better overall understanding.

If you're looking for a lot of in-depth information, you won't find it. This book tends to skip over the gory details on many items, and even provides warnings to the novice reader when covering heady material.

Who should buy this book?

First of all, understand this. No one is going to learn Java, CORBA, or any of the other ideas discussed in this book. It doesn't teach them, nor does it try to. What it does try to do, however, is give one an overall understanding so that you can go on from this text onto other books, knowing exactly what strategy is right for you.

It is difficult to rate this book as good or bad, as it is good for some people (an IT manager planning corporate strategy) and bad for others (an experienced database or network administrator). Personally, I didn't get a lot out of reading this book, but I still thought it was nicely done, and made for enjoyable reading.

So, if you have a manager who needs an education, or you want a general base of knowledge get this book at Amazon.

Table of Contents

Preface

1. The Internet
2. The World Wide Web
3. Java Systemwide Features
4. Java Security Issues
5. Java Langauge Specifics
6. Java Libraries
7. Client/Server and the Intranet
8. Enterprise Computing and Databases
9. Industry Trends for the New Millenium