Foreword

Java and WebSphere provide a solid base for developing large-enterprise applications. However, the training materials available often assume knowledge of object-oriented programming and system design. This text fills that gap by providing a step-by-step guide for creating and installing both client- and server-based Java applications using RAD 8, WAS 8.0, and Java 1.6.

Because more and more Java applications are moving to the server and using HTML for the user interface, there is a minimal amount of time spent exploring the Java GUI components. For the same reason, applets are almost completely ignored and AWT was chosen over Swing because of its ease of use. In addition, the detailed explanation of reference variables is delayed until Chapter 5 so that the student may get comfortable with the Java syntax and the RAD environment.

Many Java purists may decry the omitted detail on certain topics (static vs. nonstatic methods, private/protected/ public, arrays, etc.). However, we have intentionally minimized these topics to concentrate on base topics that allow students to get to the server-side and database topics quickly.