Developing JavaBeans Using VisualAge for Java, Version 2

Review courtesy of Amazon.com

IBM VisualAge for Java is a powerful Java development tool, but it doesn't always get a lot of press. The authors of Developing JavaBeans Using VisualAge for Java, Version 2, meet a real need with their well-organized tutorial using this capable Java tool. This book can also serve as an introduction to Java programming. 

There is good coverage of JavaBeans with both visual and non-visual components. Later chapters whet the user's appetite with newer Java features (like Swing/JFC, enterprise beans, and servlets). You'll want to go elsewhere for more thorough coverage of these technologies, but the book lets you try out these features with small working examples that are scaled just right for readers new to VisualAge development. (A working version of the VisualAge tool is included on the accompanying CD-ROM.) The authors show the strengths (and quirks) of VisualAge, with good coverage of its visual programming style (where beans are "wired" together). They even provide a list of "anti-patterns" -- things to watch out for in your VisualAge designs.

There aren't many tools-based guides to Java. (Most concentrate on the language itself.) Developing JavaBeans shows that a good way to learn the Java language is with the VisualAge tool. --Richard Dragan