From Book News, Inc.
This text is intended to help diligent readers pass the Sun Certified Web Component Developer Exam, which the authors describe as "hard." Despite this difficult mission, the book provides an enjoyable presentation of a complex technology--the use of Java Servlets and JSP in web applications. The chapters do not consist of the usual dense, paragraphed text found in most technical books. Rather almost every page contains an array of visual elements, handwritten notations, diagrams, and wry comments to provide a learning experience more like a classroom. At the end readers are offered a "final mock exam" to see if they are ready for the real thing. Whether ready or not, most readers will come away with an understanding of some important tools for web applications development. Another fine production from O'Reilly.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Book Description
Imagine a world without eBay...unthinkable! How would you get that Farrah Fawcett poster, retired Beanie Baby, or first-edition pet rock? Handling over a gazillion (OK, we exaggerate--it's actually only 1 billion) page views each day, server-side Java makes eBay work. Isn't it time you learned the latest (J2EE 1.4) versions of Servlets & JSPs? This book will get you way up to speed on the technology you'll know it so well, in fact, that you can pass the Sun Certified Web Component Developer (SCWCD) 1.4 exam. If that's what you want to do, that is. Maybe you don't care about the exam, but need to use Servlets & JSPs in your next project. You're working on a deadline. You're over the legal limit for caffeine. You can't waste your time with a book that makes sense only AFTER you're an expert (or worse one that puts you to sleep). No problem. Head First Servlets and JSP's brain-friendly approach drives the knowledge straight into your head (without sharp instruments). You'll interact with servlets and JSPs in ways that help you learn quickly and deeply. It may not be The Da Vinci Code, but quickly see why so many reviewers call it "a page turner". Most importantly, this book will help you use what you learn. It won't get you through the exam only to have you forget everything the next day. Learn to write servlets and JSPs, what makes the Container tick (and what ticks it off), how to use the new JSP Expression Language (EL), what you should NOT write in a JSP, how to write deployment descriptors, secure applications, and even use some server-side design patterns. Can't talk about Struts at a cocktail party? That'll change. You won't just pass the exam, you will truly understand this stuff, and you'll be able to put it to work right away. This new exam is tough--much tougher than the previous version of the SCWCD. The authors of Head First Servlets and JSP know: they created it. (Not that it EVER occurred to them that if they made the exam really hard you'd have to buy a study guide to pass it.) The least they could do is give you a stimulating, fun way to pass the thing. If you're one of the thousands who used Head First EJB to pass the SCWCD exam, you know what to expect!

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Head First Java was the most fun you can have learning Java from a book -- and like no other programming book you￯﾿ﾽve ever seen. Now the same crew has written a book on JSP and servlets that also preps you for Sun￯﾿ﾽs newly toughened Certified Web Component Development Exam. It oughta be illegal to laugh this much while you￯﾿ﾽre studying.

We could admire the witty photo captions, praise the ￯﾿ﾽThere Are No Dumb Questions￯﾿ﾽ sections, mention the hand-annotated code examples and diagrams that explain exactly what￯﾿ﾽs going on where, and why. But the remarkable thing about this book is: It all hangs together. Everything builds on what￯﾿ﾽs come before. By the time you￯﾿ﾽre done, you￯﾿ﾽll really be comfortable with servlets, JSP, even JSTL. The fun has been carefully crafted to make sure of it, and it works. Bill Camarda

Bill Camarda is a consultant, writer, and web/multimedia content developer. His 15 books include Special Edition Using Word 2003 and Upgrading & Fixing Networks for Dummies, Second Edition.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Isn't it time *you* learned the latest (J2EE 1.4) versions of Servlets and JSPs? This book will get you up to speed. You'll know Servlets and JSPs so well that you can pass the Sun Certified Web Component Developer (SCWCD) 1.4 exam. Maybe you don't care about the exam, but need to use Servlets and JSPs in your next project. You're working on a deadline. You're over the legal limit for caffeine. You can't waste your time with a book that makes sense only AFTER you're an expert (or that puts you to sleep). No problem. Head First Servlets and JSP drives knowledge straight into your brain (without sharp instruments). You'll interact with servlets and JSPs in ways that help you learn quickly and deeply, and most important -- you'll be able to use what you learn. Find out why so many reviewers call it "a page-turner." We won't get you through the exam only to fall asleep, or forget everything the next day.

Learn how to write servlets and JSPs, what makes the Container tick (and what ticks it off), how to use the JSP Expression Language, what you should NOT write in a JSP, how to write deployment descriptors, secure applications, and even use some server-side design patterns. You won't just pass the exam, you will understand this stuff and be able to put it to work. This new exam is tough. Much tougher than the previous version of the SCWCD. We know -- *we created it*. (Not that it EVER occurred to us that if we made the exam really hard, you'd have to buy a study guide to pass it.) The least we could do is give you a stimulating, fun way to pass the thing. (If you're one of the thousands who used Head First EJB to pass the SCBCD exam, you know what to expect!)

SYNOPSIS