Java Programming Resources Online (Java Enterprise in a Nutshell)

0.3. Java Programming Resources Online

This book is designed for speedy access to frequently needed information. It does not, and cannot, tell you everything you need to know about the Java Enterprise APIs. In addition to the books listed in the previous section, there are several valuable (and free) electronic sources of information about Java programming.

Sun's main web site for all things related to Java is http://java.sun.com. The web site specifically for Java developers is http://developer.java.sun.com. Much of the content on this developer site is password-protected and access to it requires (free) registration.

Some of the Enterprise APIs covered in this book are part of the core Java 2 platform, so if you have downloaded the JDK, you have the classes for APIs such as JDBC, RMI, and Java IDL. Other APIs are standard extensions, however, so if you want to use, say, JNDI or servlets, you have to download the classes separately. The best way to get the latest APIs is to start on Sun's Products and APIs page at http://java.sun.com/products/ and find the appropriate API from there.

Sun distributes electronic documentation for all Java classes and methods in its javadoc HTML format. Although this documentation is rough or outdated in places, it is still an excellent starting point when you need to know more about a particular Java package, class, method, or field. If you do not already have the javadoc files with your Java distribution, see http://java.sun.com/docs/ for a link to the latest available version.

Finally, don't forget O'Reilly's Java web site. http://java.oreilly.com contains Java news and commentary and a monthly tips-and-tricks column by O'Reilly Java author Jonathan Knudsen.