I purchase the book based on some review. But it turn out it was really out-dated and some of the term the author himself can't explain well. It does has pulp fiction style, not suitable and serious enough for the real world at all. $65 for a 279 paged (2/3 of junk non-sense), pocket size out-dated little book? not worth it.

Anyone who is new to the world of J2EE SHOULD read this book. Also anyone new to Websphere MUST read this book as an introductory book. It clears up a lot of questions for any newbie in J2EE (as well as Websphere) field. (A J2EE intern/newbie in my group borrowed this book from me for a couple of days and on the third day bought his own copy - He told me that this book helped him clear a lot of questions).

This book lays a strong basic foundation on many topics in J2EE which is very very helpful in the long run. And I found a lot of stuff in this book which I was unable to find in a LOT of other books or online material . The author writing style is simple AWESOME/ AMAZING /BEST /SUPERB. I found a lot of other technical authors writing style to be boring and kinda intimidating. But Mr. McKenzie's writing style is simply fantastic, he explains the topics to point in a very crystal clear way and with a bit of humor which really makes the reading very enjoyable(and of course his explanation of technical details is pretty interesting/intriguing). (Also, I didn't see any author responding to questions/queries so fast.. I mean the author of this book Mr. (Cameron) McKenzie is lightning quick in answering your questions. I had a couple of questions in EJB related chapters and I e-mailed him regarding the same.. he replied to my e-mail with in 5 minutes FLAT with answers to my questions.. his explanation to my questions very crystal clear as always).

I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars (if possible more than that). Thank you Cameron for this awesome book.

I have over 10 years of software development experience and I am glad I chose this book to start learning about IBM Websphere Application Server. This book definitely delivers what it claims to in its title. It is written in a pithy, very witty yet technically sound style. Read this book for an insightful introduction to distributed computing using IBM Websphere platform.

I wonder if anyone proofread this book. Although the book contains a nice overview of what WebSphere is about, someone forgot to clean it up, but made sure that the hefty price tag was in place.

Anyway, I recommend this book to a WebSphere newbie, as long as one can stand the errors (all grammar-related) and won't faint from the book's price.

This book is a good introduction and overview of WebSphere, but for the price I paid, I was simply amazed at the number of typos, grammar, and spelling errors. With all the money this author is making on this book (and I think it is overpriced), one would think that he could afford to hire a proofreader and clean it up. Just for fun, I kept track and found 50 typos/errors while I was reading, and since the book is only 280 pages long, that's one error every 5 pages! Poor quality, if you ask me. Although the content is helpful and well organized, the multiple errors give it a sense of being unprofessional.

For anyone who has been thrown into a world of WebSphere and IBM middle-tier development, it is easy to become overwhelmed. Pretty soon, you're thrown into a world of SOA, session management, classloading configurations, Servlet and JSP develpment, worlkload management, portal servers and scalable hardward choices. It's pretty overwhelming, and that's exactly why a book like this one just seemed to be calling out to me.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised with the book I received, as I was expecting a somewhat more technical and overly verbose textbook that what I got. Instead, the book is written extremely well, and with a very funny and casually spoken flow. All of the core concepts that revolve around a Websphere architecture and environment are covered in good, but not excruciating, detail, and the explainations are often funny, and always easy to understand.

Anyone looking at having to work with a Websphere infrastructure, be it as a manager, developer, administrator or salesperson should definitely get their hands on a copy of this book. While it doesn't cover every possible thing in the Websphere world, it does cover the all of the key pieces that you need to know in order to look and sound knowledgeable.

My only complaint was the price, which is a little steep, but I guess that's just par for the course for IBM related books. I bought from the publisher through amazon, and got the book at a good discount. The seller was also the author, and actually responded quickly to a couple of my emails. It's nice to get that type of personal service.

Highly recommended.

OK, so I know more about Websphere than before I read the book. It was simple to read and understand. It cleared up alot of questions and broke down Websphere to basics. But it left me hanging in different areas like MQSeries for the mainframe and distributed systems. The book is only 270 pages with a page size 5 1/2 X 9", that means if it had more standard size pages like 8 x 10, it would probable be around 220 pages, which is like primer-size. In otherwords $73, for a primer is way too much. If you're in IT Audit, this book won't help.

This book is an excellent introduction for a manager or developer willing to understand WebSphere and the J2EE specification from a very high perspective. It's not a deep introduction, the book just covers the most important topics but it does in a funny but yet illustrative form. I read the book in a couple of days, it's short and fast-paced.

My only complain is the price you have to pay for the book. I don't think it worths all the bucks you pay even when you may find it is a great book. But if you have the money and you don't mind the book is short and the presentation quite simple, then go for this book, I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Let me say at the outset that I like the book very much. The author writes in an amusing but informative style, and a lot of the buzzword topics of J2EE are covered nicely.

I was disappointed though with:

(a) the marketing of the book: demystification, yes, but to a point. Few examples, and some topics (like EJBs and JMS) are very "light-on".
(b) the price of the book: $73 is expensive for any textbook.

I think if the prospective buyer understands that this book is totally non-technical, very short, and is virtually a "Websphere for Dummies" book then they'll rate it 5 stars. If you want something to explain Websphere and J2EE concepts with greater significance then look elsewhere.

I have found this text to be outstanding in consolidating the many technologies which Websphere brings to the table. I am fairly new to these technologies, and the author explains the topics very well.

This is one of the rare times where reading a technical text book resulted right away in an ephiphany. The text explains the information so well, and the read is so easy that I feel my confidence growing as I read. Just a really great book for explaining WebSphere in a practical manner.

~Luke

I picked up this book after reading the Java certification study guides by the same author. Like the others, this books was funny, entertaining, and dare I say it, enlightening.

I agree with other reviewers that the book is a bit more expensive than other books, but IBM related books always are. But the thing is, there is so much value in this book. The author doesn't waste the book with filler and illogical screenshots to fill up pages, like so many other books do. This book is concise, to the point, and because of that, its easy to read, and easy to understand. I'd much rather read 20 pages that explain a concept clearly, than 200 pages that are scattered and all over the place.

This is a great book, and a valuable read if you're going to get into the WebSphere or J2EE world. It's not filled with code, so if you want a code book, you're out of luck. But if you need to understand what WebSphere is, what it does, and how to use it, this definitely the book for you.

A+

I think the book is easily overpriced by at least $30. The contents in the book serve as just introduction to all the J2EE topics and they sound like a brief canteen chat we have with our fellow programmers. After reading the book you can simply 'talk' about the all the ingredients in J2EE and learn nothing practical.
So if you are programmer and want some in depth knowledge in Websphere usage and it's practical applications, this is not for you.

I think the book is easily overpriced by at least $30. The contents in the book serve as just introduction to all the J2EE topics and they sound like a brief canteen chat we have with our fellow programmers. After reading the book you can simply 'talk' about the all the ingredients in J2EE and learn nothing practical.
So if you are programmer and want some in depth knowledge in Websphere usage and it's practical applications, this is not for you.

The book offers J2EE beginers and managers a great overview of the WebSphere family of products as well as a high level road map of all important J2EE technologies that are a available/supported. If you're already using WebSphere then you won't find anything specific/usefull in it - perhaps a complete general overview of WebSphere.

I picked up this book after reading the SCJA Java certification guides by the same author. I not only wanted to learn about WebSphere, but I wanted to see if this book was written in the same funny and light-hearted manner. Well, it was.

The chapters are easy to read, and the humour is effective without being over the top. The book covers all the important WebSphere topics, such as Portal, the application Server, J2EE and web based development, without going overly deep into the code or technical details. If you're new to WebSphere, and need to know what WebSphere can do, and how it does it, this is definitely a recommended read.

I picked up this book after reading the SCJA Java certification guides by the same author. I not only wanted to learn about WebSphere, but I wanted to see if this book was written in the same funny and light-hearted manner. Well, it was.

The chapters are easy to read, and the humour is effective without being over the top. The book covers all the important WebSphere topics, such as Portal, the application Server, J2EE and web based development, without going overly deep into the code or technical details. If you're new to WebSphere, and need to know what WebSphere can do, and how it does it, this is definitely a recommended read.

This book is by far the best introduction to J2EE I've come across for anyone who isn't aleady an expert in the field. I would also bet that it offers a few important nuggets to those who feel they are "experts".
His method of delivering information is very easy to relate to, particularly if you have a little background on transaction processing systems to start with. I have plowed through books by IBM as well as other independent authors and they are so dry and so full of details that I got a brain cramp trying to filter out the important concepts from the most esoteric rarely used features. McKenzie cuts right to the chase with the important stuff and and repeats the key points several times so they burn into your memory.

If you want to know about WebSphere, what's involved in implementing a WebSphere solution, and how all the majoor parts work together, from LTPA to EJBs, from Servlets and JSPs to Web Services, this is the right book.

The book covers all of the major aspects of WebSphere, without going into silly details of obscure and overly technical topics. If you're using WebSphere, and you want to know how WebSphere works and integrates with all of the peripheral J2EE and enterprise technologies, this is the book you want.