What is the difference between knowing J2EE and knowing Java?

[twitherspoon]

Okay, I need a little help and guidance. I've been doing integration work for the past couple of years and I've been creating small programs in Java with our EAI application. Basic database updates, reading different file types from disc (XML, fixed-length, etc.), and a lot of other things. But never full-blown applications. So I think I know the Java language pretty well, although I haven't used everything, just what I needed.

I've been hearing this phrase getting thrown around a lot: "Do you know J2EE" instead of "Do you know Java". What is the actual difference between the two? (Any good websites or books would help a lot).

Another question I had since we were always building small programs they was never a great deal of stress to build object-oriented code. Is there a good book and/or websites on some basic standards and rules of thumbs to think about when I start designing my code?

Thanks everyone

 

[palbano]

Great questions. Very well worded.

Good luck



First, the place to start for everything Java is java.sun.com. There you will find white papers and tutorials on most, it not all, things J2EE.

What is J2EE? I’ll give it a stab but I don’t know how correct I will be. Hopefully if I mess up someone will correct me. The first E is for Enterprise. The idea generally is that J2EE sets a standard for the interfaces to the systems and objects that define Enterprise Computing type functionality. So we are talking things like; Transactions, and Messaging etc. Of course you talk about anything these days without including XML and Web Services ( ok I said it so now I don’t seem stupid I guess ). So to be sure, they are now rolled into J2EE fairly well at this stage. In some respects J2EE is like an API that is Object Oriented in nature of course since it is Java.

Now J2EE does not implement most of the major functionality of the systems defined by it. This is where what is called Application Servers comes in. There are reference implementations of most of the systems available for free but they are not built to scale well. There are intended only for research really. So you have to purchase a commercial Application Server to really use J2EE in any real enterprise environment.

Object Oriented Programming is a somewhat large subject and cannot be given justice in a small space, or by me anyway . On the sun web site you will find documentation regarding many Software Patterns that are part of the J2EE recommendations. They might be a good place to start. Here is a short list of links to web sites pertaining to OOP and Software Patterns

OMG (Object Management Group) home of UML

http://www.omg.org/technology/uml

XP (Extreme Programming) Inventors and Home Page

http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?ExtremeProgramming

Portland Pattern Repository’s Wiki

http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WelcomeVisitors

A Pattern Definition

http://hillside.net/patterns/definition.html

The Software Productivity Consortium

http://www.software.org/

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

http://ieee.org

-pete

 

[twitherspoon]

Thanks a lot palbano. I'll start on the suggestions you gave and I think it will be a great start. Do you have any suggestions on books I should read as well?

 

[ganeshmb]

Is there a good book and/or websites on some basic standards and rules of thumbs to think about when I start designing my code?
Looks like, you are new to OOPS world! I'd recommend Object-oriented Analysis and design with Applications by Grady Booch.


Ganesh
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