JBuilder 3 Unleashed

JBuilder 3 Unleashed does an excellent job of explaining how to write Java programs in Borland's newest Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for the language. With plenty of code (all of which ships on the accompanying CD-ROM) and lots of documentation on Java classes, this book enables the intermediate-level Java programmer to become more capable with JBuilder and the language as a whole. You'll find good information if you want to write servlets, interface with databases, or do any of dozens of other software development tasks.

JBuilder 3 Unleashed naturally covers the JBuilder user interface, but the authors don't explain interface elements for their own sake. Rather, they explain the JBuilder interface in the context of doing certain Java programming jobs. Subjects include some fairly exotic aspects of the Java language, including elaborate user interface design, multithreading, internationalization, and client/server architecture.

Coverage of programming JavaBeans (and especially serialization as it applies to Beans) with JBuilder is exemplary, as are the sections on Remote Method Invocation (RMI) and CORBA. In addition to their coverage of the mechanics of JBuilder and Java, the authors include quite a bit of management and engineering information on using Borland's development environment as the centerpiece of a development team, including versioning, testing, and object-oriented analysis and design. --David Wall