Description:
Although Enterprise Java (J2EE) is still the most popular platform for developing Web applications, Microsoft's .NET has gained considerable market share over the past two years. One of the foremost reasons for .NET's inroads is its ease-of-use; whereas J2EE is arguably more powerful than .NET, the latter is generally regarded as easier to use due to two .NET features that J2EE currently lacks: a rich component model that makes it easy to develop custom components and an IDE (Visual Studio) that greatly facilitates Web application development.

J2EE's answer to .NET is JavaServer Faces (JSF), which provides a Web application framework and a rich component model. The framework, which is similar to the popular Apache Struts application framework, gives IDE vendors a standard they can base an IDE on. Currently, there are approximately 35 J2EE Web application frameworks, which gives developers many choices, but makes IDE vendors reluctant to implement an IDE for a particular framework. With the standard Web application framework specified by JavaServer Faces, IDE vendors will be more willing to implement an IDE that can compete favorably with Microsoft's Visual Studio; indeed, many of the experts on the JavaServer Faces Expert Group are IDE vendors.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the JavaServer Faces is its rich component model. Currently, J2EE developers must implement custom components, such as trees or calendars, from scratch. The JavaServer Faces component model makes those components much easier to implement and encourages open-source component implementations. As a matter of fact, several such efforts are already under way, even though the JavaServer Faces specification is currently an early access release.

Undoubtedly, JavaServer Faces is the most significant J2EE specification in recent memory. JavaServer Faces will give Web application developers access to custom components that facilitate a rich user interface, and will provide IDE vendors with a standard upon which to base their IDEs.

Speaker:
David Geary is the president of Sabreware, Inc., a Java training and consulting company. David has developed object-oriented software for nearly 20 years and worked on the Java APIs at Sun Microsystems from 1994 to 1997. He is the author of six Java books, including the Graphic Java series, Advanced JavaServer Pages, and Core JSTL. David is a member of the expert groups for the JavaServer Pages Standard Tag Library (JSTL) and JavaServer Faces; was one of the earliest contributors to the Apache Struts application framework; and wrote test questions for Sun's Web Component Developer Exam. In his spare time, David writes the Java Design Patterns column and other articles for JavaWorld online. David is currently working on Core JavaServer Faces, which will be published by Sun Microsystems Press in the Fall of 2003.

Resources:
Download presentation slides (200310_JSF.pdf)
Download sample code (200310_JSF.zip)

Books:
Core JavaServer Faces
David Geary
To be published Fall, 2003

Core JSTL: Mastering the JSP Standard Tag Library
David Geary
Prentice Hall PTR; 1st edition (May, 2001)
ISBN: 0130307041

Advanced JavaServer Pages
David Geary
Prentice Hall PTR; 1st edition (Nov, 2002)
ISBN: 0131001531

Graphic Java 2, Volume 1: AWT (3rd Edition)
David Geary
Prentice Hall PTR; 1st edition (Sep, 1998)
ISBN: 0130796662

Graphic Java 2, Volume 2: Swing (3rd Edition)
David Geary
Prentice Hall PTR; 3rd edition (Mar, 1999)
ISBN: 0130796670

Online Resources:
www.core-jstl.com
www.corejsf.com