In in Part 1 of this series, you’ll learn how to use the LDAP Tools for Eclipse to configure Geronimo’s built-in Apache Directory LDAP server. In Part 2 you’ll query the LDAP server and update the Web page using Ajax. You’ll also get familiar with some of the techniques to build LDAP-centric applications using the toolsets available in the Java platform and Ajax.
Although I am trying to acomplish the same thing using FDS and PHP, it also showed me how a lot of things are done in an enterprise platform. I’ve got most of them right, and quite a few wrong.
The real pain with J2EE is the incredibly steep learning curve. I find Eclipse to be an excelent IDE though. Most of the guides for J2EE that I can find, either treat the reader like a complete moron, or expect you to be an ASP programmer. I find this to be a bit sad.
I hope that one day I’ll have the time to look into the whole J2EE thing. It seems like a complete chaos from the outside. Take Tomcat, after having to configure a few tomcat servers I’ve mostly understood what it’s all about, but, as with most Java things it’s a real pain to understand. Some guides start explaining everything about J2EE, and as an administrator, it’s not very usefull and it’s very time-consuming, others are just copy+paste, but they apply only to a specific case (usually not mine). With PHP I just started coding and that was it. I can easily understand the language and the API but is there anyone overthere that can take all the elements of a Java Enterprise Stack and explain what they are? How is a novice Java programmer, suposed to understand that he needs Xalan/Xerces/OtherFunkyName unless someone explains what they are?
I concur with the documentation issue, I have yet to find an overview of the J2EE components that:
a) does not treat you like you’ve never seen or used Java
b) does not treat you like your a Java god
c) full of marketing crap (usually linked to a)
d) tells you what a J2EE component is but not why or when you would use it.
As someone who is not devoid of intelligence and has a grasp of most concepts the why and when “d)” is the most important. I understand its difficult to write good documentation and to pitch it to the correct audience. Perhaps I’m looking in the wrong places.
Any pointers welcome on such overviews would be appreciated…
Now to go read the article.
Edited 2006-06-16 09:36