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Press Release: December 15, 2006

Java and XML, Third Edition: New Edition Gives Java Developers a Practical Approach to Using XML

Sebastopol, CA--With each new edition of Java and XML, Third Edition (O'Reilly, US $49.99), it becomes apparent that neither Java nor XML are technologies to stand still. "A lot has changed--again!" says Brett McLaughlin, coauthor of the new third edition of the book, with Justin Edelson.

"The second edition, released in 2001, was really about the wealth of new APIs that had become available for working with XML from Java," recalls McLaughlin. "Instead of just SAX and DOM, there were now APIs to work with databases, objects, registries in LDAP, and even APIs to making working with other APIs easier. Now things have shifted in the Java and XML world once again, and the focus is on ease of use. While any good Java programmer still should have a command of SAX and DOM, using XML has become even easier, and terms like Ajax and data binding should be part of any competent Java programmer's vocabulary.

"This third edition of Java and XML reflects that change in usage: while the depth in the core XML APIs remains, an increased focus is laid on usability," McLaughlin adds. "We detail not only how you can do something, but some of the tried and true, 'best' ways to do those things."

The book is written for intermediate to advanced Java developers who need to use XML, including developers involved in the new peer-to-peer movement, messaging, or web services, or those involved with developing software for electronic commerce.

"The ideal reader is someone who wants to get up and running quickly with any of the technologies discussed in the book but is also willing to potentially go back and dig a little deeper," says Edelson. "Java sometimes suffers from affording developers too many choices, and this book can be a guide through the wide variety of XML libraries. Readers will be able to look at just about any application involving XML processing and determine the most effective processing technique to use."

  • After two initial chapters on XML basics, including XPath, XSL, DTDs, and XML Schema, the rest of the book focuses on using XML from Java applications.
  • This third edition covers all major Java XML processing libraries, including full coverage of the SAX, DOM, StAX, JDOM, and dom4j APIs, as well as the latest version of the Java API for XML Processing and Java Architecture for XML Binding (JAXB).
  • The chapters on web technology have been rewritten to focus on today's most relevant topics: syndicating content with RSS and creating Web 2.0 applications.

Says Edelson, "Web content syndication, primarily in terms of RSS, has exploded in the past few years; if you have any sort of serious web presence, an RSS feed is pretty much required. This was something that was touched on in the second edition, but warranted a whole chapter in the third. In addition to RSS, StAX has become much more important as it's included with the standard Java runtime, starting with the recently released Java 6."

Brett McLaughlinn has worked in computers since the Logo days. (Remember the little triangle?) In recent years, he's become one of the most well known authors and programmers in the Java and XML communities. He's worked for Nextel Communications, implementing complex enterprise systems; at Lutris Technologies, actually writing application servers; and most recently at O'Reilly Media, Inc., where he continues to write and edit books that matter. His list to date includes Head Rush Ajax, Java 5.0 Tiger: A Developer's Notebook, and Java and XML.

Justin Edelson has been a software developer for over ten years, specializing in web development for media and entertainment companies. He has contributed extensively to high-profile web sites and applications for brands such as MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, Showtime, The Movie Channel, Spike TV, Nickelodeon, and MSN. Recently he has been instrumental to MTV Networks' wide-ranging suite of mobile products, which includes messaging, ringtones, wallpapers, games, and mobile video channels, in partnership with all major U.S. carriers.

Background and Market Information:
http://del.icio.us/oreillymedia/java&xml

Additional Resources:

Java and XML, Third Edition
Brett D. McLaughlin and Justin Edelson
ISBN: 0-596-10149-X, 465 pages, $49.99 US, $64.99 CA
[email protected]
1-800-998-9938; 1-707-827-7000

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