Programming languages are a software engineer’s main building material. Java is the programming language for the J2EE platform, but alternative programming languages and paradigms exist that can complement Java’s object-oriented semantics. In Part III, we examine some of these alternatives from the perspective of the advantages they provide for rapid development.

The topics covered include the use of scripting languages for undertaking the many and varied tasks that make up an enterprise project; rule-based languages for defining complex and dynamic business logic; and the benefits of aspect-oriented programming for producing highly maintainable software and as a means of effecting rapid changes to an application’s entire code base.