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Java Books Media Programming Book Reviews

Apache Jakarta Commons 89

Posted by timothy from the calls-it-as-he-sees-it dept.
Simon P. Chappell writes "This is a hard review to write because I feel that I should be biased in favour of this book. I was one of the original reviewers of the book proposal. I read it and said "Yes, they'll be lining up around the block for a book like this!" Well, maybe those weren't my exact words, but I did offer my endorsement. After all, the Jakarta project of the Apache Software Foundation has an excellent reputation for quality Java code products and the Commons is quite the supply of diamonds in the rough. What could go wrong?" Read on for the rest of Chappell's review to find out.
Apache Jakarta Commons - Reusable Java Components
author Will Iverson
pages 338 (8 page index)
publisher Prentice Hall
rating 4
reviewer Simon P. Chappell
ISBN 0131478303
summary There are other books about the Jakarta Commons; buy one of those instead.

What's To Like

The book takes the reader on a journey through the Jakarta Commons. The Commons is like a massive utility library of Java code. Much of the code has been promoted out of the other Jakarta projects as it became more useful. One of the first such components was the Digester, which is a component to initialise a Java object from the contents of an XML configuration file. Very useful, originally from Struts and now used extensively by other Jakarta projects.

As the subject matter for a book, the Commons seems like a natural winner (I guess I have to say that!). There are so many components in the Commons that a guide to their types and usage does need to be available for developers.

Naturally, the book has a website to accompany it.

What's To Consider

Where to begin? I was actually surprised to find that I did not care for this book. The last review I wrote was for Mr. Iverson's very good Hibernate book. That was well written and structured. Unfortunately, this book feels kind of thrown together. The lack of care shows in the cramped layout and typesetting, the over-abundance of UML diagrams (a few here and there are great, but this felt like padding), code examples that can only be described as under-whelming and an approach that feels like an annotated telephone directory.

Despite the lack of quality of the primary chapters, they only actually account for the first 199 pages of the book. This is actually a very reasonable number of pages for a book, especially when you consider that classics like the first edition of Kernighan and Ritchie's "The C Programming Language" weighed in at about 220 pages. Sadly, the book then goes on for another 125 pages churning out what looks like repackaged JavaDoc for each of the major classes in the commons. You may like this, but it annoys the beans out of me and it'll reduce the score on one of my reviews faster than the Linux community can debunk a SCO IP infringement claim.

Summary

I really wanted to like this book. But it feels like someone was cranking the handle on a cash machine and thought that if they printed stuff about Jakarta, that the geeks would obediently buy it. Not this time. There are other books about the Jakarta Commons; buy one of those."

You could purchase Apache Jakarta Commons - Reusable Java Components from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
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Apache Jakarta Commons More

Apache Jakarta Commons

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  • If you go through the Barnes & Noble link [bfast.com] for the book, you'll find that the book costs $31.99 for the unwashed masses, and $28.79 for the "B&N members". What Barnes and Noble isn't telling their members is that they are still paying more than if they went to Amazon! Even with an associate laden link [amazon.com], you can still get the book off of Amazon for a mere $26.39! And no membership hassles to mess with!

    From an Amazon review:
    Note that this 325-page book is really a 201-page book. Appendix A is the entire API of the Commons lang project - word for word.

    Am I the only one who gets annoyed at how computer books have devolved into hardcopies of auto-generated online documentation? Am I the only one who remembers books that cover the intangables of coding (e.g. theory of operation, correct methodology for usage, cool coding and hardware tricks, etc.) rather than the "instruction manual for dummies" books? Bah, I say! I don't know which is scarier: the current trend in books, or the fact that the review I'm citing gave the book 4 out of 5 stars.

    Of course, I'll probably get in trouble with my fellow authors for saying this. (Sorry guys, but I just don't like 90% of the books being printed.)
    • Well, thank god you can save $2.40! People like you are the reason we have Wal-Mart: a rush to the lowest price with no consideration for any other factor in your purchase. Oh, and I happen to get my books at 75% of the retail price: from an independent local bookstore that actually contributes to my community.
      • from an independent local bookstore that actually contributes to my community

        Okay, I'll bite. How does B&N contribute to your community? Are you referring to this link [barnesandnobleinc.com]? If you agree with their charity work and think they should be rewarded for it, then by all means follow the Barnes and Noble link [bfast.com]. Personally, I'm none to happy with stores that require "memberships" to get special deals, but to each their own.
        • I dunno, having a huge library-sized bookstore with couches and a cafe to hang around in is pretty cool. It was a favorite spot for a girl I really liked in high school and I to hang out at. I'm all for independent business, but most of the tiny independent bookshops that I've been in have no selection, no food or drink allowed, and sort of smell funny, anyway.

          -If
          • Actually, I'm generally happier with Borders. Borders has all the same features as B&N, but their selection is usually better, and they give you a good price without pressing the membership thing.

            Of course, it shouldn't be *too* suprising, as Borders is just the large version of Walden Books (one of the few awesome bookstores). :-)
      • Well, thank god you can save $2.40! People like you are the reason we have Wal-Mart: a rush to the lowest price with no consideration for any other factor in your purchase.

        Is B&N better than Amazon? How? Also, there are independent booksellers still around? Or are they just money-laundering fronts for Borders / B&N?

        • "Or are they just money-laundering fronts for Borders / B&N?"

          Isn't Borders part of Amazon.com?
          • Isn't Borders part of Amazon.com?

            Actually, Borders made a deal with Amazon whereby Amazon would handle their online business. Which (in English) means that Amazon was allowed to license the Border's name on a royalty basis.

            Here is a link [internetnews.com] to a news story on the subject. (Mods: This is an example of an informative post.) No, there are no associates links embedded in that link. (Mods: This is a joke. It may optionally be modded as "Funny" *if you laughed*.)

            (Mods: Don't bother to mod up this post. The "VOI
      • Will someone please reverse the Troll mod on the parent? His point is his own and he should *not* be punished for it. My original post is far more deserving of a Troll mod than DogDude's.

        Man alive, who do we have modding these days?

    • Associate-free link (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Even with an associate laden link, you can still get the book off of Amazon for a mere $26.39! And no membership hassles to mess with!

      Or you can use the non-associate link [amazon.com] to prevent datadino's flagrant commission-whoring.

    • What Barnes and Noble isn't telling their members is that they are still paying more than if they went to Amazon!

      Wow. That is stunning.
    • The first time I really got annoyed by this sort of thing was back when I was learning NeXTSTEP programming. Their developer reference docs were largely a hardcopy set of API regurgitations, but this was OK because they were well indexed (as they bloody well should have been, I expect they were just printouts of the NeXT Librarian format online documentation). I also don't mind this because for really ploughing through a book, I still prefer dead tree to online format[*]. However, the printed documentati
      • if the western govts stopped freaking out about cannabis then there wouldn't need to be so many dead trees.


        Hemp produces more pulp per acre than timber on a sustainable basis, and can be used for every quality of paper.

        Guess what sort of paper the Declaration of Independence is written on.

        • Re:Interesting pricing (Score:3, Interesting)

          by jc42 ( 318812 )
          Hemp produces more pulp per acre than timber on a sustainable basis, and can be used for every quality of paper.

          A couple of years ago, there was a book written on the history of the US drug laws. I've forgotten the book's (or author's) name, but he documented an interesting "coincidence": The campaign to outlaw cannabis/marijuana/hemp was basically done by the Hearsts. They owned a large amount of land that was mostly pulpwood farms. Just before the anti-marijuana campaign started, a new hemp-to-paper
          • That's rather interesting. Although I don't find that the banning of any euphoric drug is odd.

            Euphoria is dangerous! Secretly banned in the US!

            We have the right to the pursuit of happiness, not happiness. The goverment thinks that if we find it, we'll revolt. Down with the man!

            Or something. I forgot where this was going.
          • Weren't the drug laws passed around the same time as the civil rights ammendment?
            Aren't the overwhelming majority of people convicted on drug charges African American?
            In many states convicted felons never regain the right to vote.

            I am not putting on the tinfoil hat here, I'm just pointing out an interesting coincidence.

            There are a lot of knowledgeble people here, I hope someone will point out a misconception or bad info (please).
            • Weren't the drug laws passed around the same time as the civil rights ammendment?

              Nah; you're off by half a century. ;-)

              The original US anti-drug laws were passed in the 1920's. Before that, drugs like marijuana and opium were sold openly and legally.

              Actually, various kinds of "civil rights" laws (and amendments) date to nearly every decade of the country's history.

              The 13th Amendment, which outlawed slavery and involuntary servitude, dates from 1865, and was ratified. "Civil Rights Ammendment" usually
              • I don't know why I kept thinking these laws were passed around the late 50's. Maybe, I'm thinking old jazz scene.
                Of course, the Civil Rights Act was the one I meant.

                thank you for the clarification
            • And at about the same time, President Kennedy was assassinated! Well, that's enough proof for me; the banning of pot was clearly a plot to kill trees, keep Blackie down, and shoot the president!

    • Re:Interesting pricing (Score:1, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Trolling for dollars!
    • Or get it even cheaper at Bookpool [bookpool.com] for $25.50
      • There you go. Mod parent up.

        (And don't bother modding up my original post. I gave fair warning of the associates link, but I mostly just being a smartass. Feel free to mod it down if you like.)

    • Re:Interesting pricing (Score:4, Funny)

      by the_rev_matt ( 239420 ) <slashbot AT revmatt DOT com> on Monday May 09, 2005 @04:45PM (#12481198) Homepage
      You shouldn't be worried about the 4 star rating. It's out of 10.

    • Am I the only one who gets annoyed at how computer books have devolved into hardcopies of auto-generated online documentation? Am I the only one who remembers books that cover the intangables of coding (e.g. theory of operation, correct methodology for usage, cool coding and hardware tricks, etc.) rather than the "instruction manual for dummies" books?

      No! I'm with you and that is the main reason why I rarely buy books about programming. 75% of the content can be found online, and really, I do not need th

    • And for other books, B&N is cheaper than Amazon regardless of membership. So what's your point, the fact that the prices have a distribution that averages to the same thing on the whole?

  • Content-free review (Score:3, Insightful)

    by winkydink ( 650484 ) * <sv.dude@gmail.com> on Monday May 09, 2005 @04:20PM (#12480907) Homepage Journal
    This has to be among the worst booke reviews I have ever seen on Slashdot. And that's saying something. Most reviewers take the time to give you some detail. An indication of whether or not this book is for you. This just seems like a shameless whoring to get affiliate credit with B&N under the guise of a book review.

  • HowTo: How To Deal With A Shitty Book: (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Neil Blender ( 555885 ) <neilblender@gmail.com> on Monday May 09, 2005 @04:21PM (#12480914)
    Stop reading it the minute you realize it's shit.

  • Review, or Oscar acceptance? (Score:4, Informative)

    by lheal ( 86013 ) <lheal1999NO@SPAMyahoo.com> on Monday May 09, 2005 @04:22PM (#12480920) Journal
    Next time, spend less effort writing about your own involvement and more time on that of the authors of the book.

  • Hey! buy the Jakarta Commons Cookbook (Score:5, Insightful)

    by BigTimOBrien ( 203674 ) on Monday May 09, 2005 @04:32PM (#12481047) Homepage
    :-)

    I wrote a book on the Jakarta Commons - The Jakarta Commons Cookbook [amazon.com], and, from what I hear people like it. Really, you should read it, I tried to stay as far away from reference as possible and pack it full of useful recipes.

    • Re:Hey! buy the Jakarta Commons Cookbook (Score:5, Informative)

      by greg1104 ( 461138 ) <gsmith@gregsmith.com> on Monday May 09, 2005 @05:00PM (#12481398) Homepage
      Amazingly, this bit of self-promotion is actually more useful than the review. Tim O'Brien's book is my favorite on this subject and it's far, far better than the Will Iverson title. I particularly like how well it covers some of the extremely useful but not well documented APIs like the HttpClient, there are far more readable, usable examples that cover the kind of real-world issues you run into the minute you try to use that API than any other source I know of.

      Larne Pekowsky: "Apache Jakarta and Beyond: A Java Programmer's Introduction" is also a decent title in this area, albeit a bit too broad to really do that good of a job on any topic. Even a 600 page book can't cover things like Eclipse or Ant in a chapter.

      I have all three books on my Safari bookshelf right now; only O'Brien's is staying once I can remove the other two. The Iverson and Pekowsky titles have some interesting sections worth looking at once, while "Jakarta Commons Cookbook" I always want to keep around for reference, in the same fashion I already rely on the similarly useful "Java Cookbook".
    • Yeah, and I pasted a code example from that goddamn book and guess what, IT DID NOT WORK. It was not tested. Bye bye book. Fortunately I read it on Safari.
    • I love cookbooks because they show you creative ways to use the library to solve real problems. The code snippets given get you up and running with a library almost immediately, as you have a working piece of code to use as a starting point for solving your own problem. Contrast that with writing code against a new library from scratch and you'll find a great learning aid and time saver.

      If I want to read the API docs, I'll go to the Jakarta Commons website and read them. I don't want to waste money and tre
    • I'm glad you dont have javadocs. Its a cheap way to make a bad book.

      more to the point, it dates so fast in the OSS world. Oreilly could get away with the original Java in a Nutshell book because the entire Java API was small enough to print, and because the API stayed frozen for two years.

      but any living OSS project has an API that evolves weekly; and point releases every few months. printed documentation just doesnt cut it here. Instead books have to focus on why and how to use library, not what the APIs

      • I like the nutshell books. I only have two monitors on my desk, and they have are full of windows. (testing here, /. there, code here (more like here there and everywhere), I don't have much free space. Except for /. (which isn't up often) I need all those windows.

        With nutshell books I have a good reference that I can place on my physical desk. Not everything I need is in them, but when I need a quick refresher on some syntax or library it is nice.

        I don't see the point in online nutshell types books,

    • I would recommend everyone to O'Brien's Commons Cookbook. It is concise and to the point, (as a good cookbook title should be), with lots of good summaries and examples.

      He gives just enough attention to a topic to give the intelligent reader the gist, as well as a jumping-off point for further investigation into the specific commons sub-project.

      I was familiar with and actively used several commons components before, but this book introduced me to many I was not even aware of (or was aware of but didn't co

  • Why might it be better than the free docs? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Soong ( 7225 ) on Monday May 09, 2005 @04:48PM (#12481252) Homepage Journal
    I think that's the first question any book like this would have to answer. Free and reasonably comprehensive documentation is included right along with all of these libraries. Why pay for anything more?

    The answer is likely to be in tutorials or teaching narrative. I bought the OpenGL Guide for that to learn OpenGL because the API was a nasty maze to navigate otherwise. I don't think Jakarta Commons have that problem and I don't expect I'll be buying a book about them.
    • Ummmm. Have you tried using the org.apache.commons.collections.functors package? Not completely obvious. There could be a whole book on that stuff.
    • A few of the packages could use a little bit of help on the documentation front. JXPath (at least for me) comes to mind quickly. Great package, just a bit hard to get the conceptual grasp around.

      Other packages (functors, for example), would probably benefit from much more extensive examples demonstrating their power and flexibility in providing elegant solutions for certain classes of problems.

      Neither of the above are best accomplished via the Javadocs--well-written, probing dissections of solution app

  • whatever (Score:2, Insightful)

    by fkamogee ( 619579 )
    Call it a troll if you want, but this is what I really think.

    1) Commons is way overrated. A lot of the code is not great if you dig into it, and generally the components solve very small problems. Often, you're better off doing it yourself than adding a volatile dependency to your project.

    2) There are some worthwhile components in Commons, but that does not imply that that the same quality or usefulness can be assumed of the other components. Same goes for the rest of Jakarta. And the rest of ASF.

    3) Tho
    • Mod parent "Insightful"

      All four points are 100% true.

    • Re: Whatever (Score:2, Insightful)

      by SlightlyOldGuy ( 805345 )
      So I should write all this stuff for myself? Really? No thanks. Some of the Commons components are annoying, but not as annoying as my done-under-deadline versions. If your stuff is so wonderful, perhaps you might consider contributing some of it? hm?

    • Re:whatever (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      First, I'll declare my bias. I'm a maintainer for one of the commons projects.

      re (1): There are very few (if any) projects in commons that haven't taken at least 6 man-months of development time. If you do only want a very small piece of the functionality of one project, then maybe you're better off doing it yourself but generally I think reusing the existing code *does* provide significant time savings.

      re (2) Well, that's probably true of code anywhere. But code doesn't get into commons unless it's being
    • Granted some of the Jakarta commons libraries are a bit lacking/annoying, poorly designed or pointless, but can be a good base for development once patched, even then it's still quicker than rolling all the code yourself.

      IMHO:

      I think commons-logging is pointless and wish it would die, Log4J was first, is still much better than JRE logging. commons-logging configuration is grossly inadequate for Log4J because it does not support Log4J XML config.

      I find the main Jakarta branch less annoying as I have not

  • Where's the review? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Augusto ( 12068 ) on Monday May 09, 2005 @05:12PM (#12481562) Homepage
    And what does rating (4) mean? (4 out of what?)

    What are the other books that are better? Why?

    What is the "Jakarta Commons"? I know what it is, but you'd think the review will explain this briefly and then say how the book failed or succeding at explaining them.

    I give this review a rating of "[".

  • FYI From The Author (Score:5, Informative)

    by will_iverson ( 882772 ) on Monday May 09, 2005 @08:30PM (#12483483)
    I would just like to respond to the bit about "cash cow":

    1. The book itself is published under an open license - the material in the book will be available as a free electronic download in a few months.

    2. Yes, the last 125 pages *is* (for all intents and purposes) the printed javadoc. This was included at the request of the publisher, and it is valuable for some people.

    So... I don't know how negatively the review was influenced by the inclusion of the Apache material, but it is entirely above-board per the Apache license and essentially reciprocal - I'm giving the material in the book back to the community via a free license to download the material.

    Oh, and as an FYI, book writing is hardly a cash cow - I only wish. ;)

    If folks have any questions (e.g. why the delay in making the electronic version available? What is the state of affairs for tech book publishing? Why aren't you rich writing books yet?) let me know...

    Cheers & best wishes,

    -Will Iverson
    • Though I value that reply about as much as the fluff I keep accumulating in my navel, I do indeed wonder why the electronic version is delayed.
      • Perhaps so that the publisher stands a chance to make *some* money? It's not like anyone other than a java geek will buy the book (ok, maybe the author's mom...), and geeks are more willing to just use what's freely available online.

        As the author stated, book writing is not a cash cow (at least that's what every author says...), especially when your market is so small and there are other options. However, I would like to know how much he got/gets for the book.
        • Perhaps so that the publisher stands a chance to make *some* money? It's not like anyone other than a java geek will buy the book (ok, maybe the author's mom...), and geeks are more willing to just use what's freely available online.

          Well, the only reason to buy a book is that deadtreeware is easier to read and the human mind is more compatible with it. THere is a lot of documentation online, yet people still buy the book. K&R C is online, I bought the book.
  • Manning decided to publish my book in an online pdf format only, since Tim and the others beat me to the market. On the plus side, the book is available to read now, and you only need to buy the chapters that you are interested in rather than the whole book. The book *may* have future updates as well.

    I would appreciate if someone would do a review of it here. Since it is not sold on Amazon, I have only had very few feedback comments (all of them good :) ).

    Regards, Vikram Goyal

    Jakarta Commons Onli

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