So you wanna be a servlets stud? Or a JSP jedi?

By Brett McLaughlin

The next Head First book showing up in your local book store might surprise many of you... it's a brand new edition of Head First Servlets & JSP. This new edition has flown under the radar a bit, competing for attention alongside heavy-hitting titles like Head First Ruby on Rails or Head First Statistics. So is this book for you? Well, that's a good question...

 

Is this a book about web development, or passing a certification test?

In a word: BOTH. Sun—the people that own Java, and handle Java certifications—has just released a new version of the Java Platform Enterprise Edition, version 1.5. And of course, they've released certification tests for that platform. One of those is the Sun Certified Web Component Developer exam, which most people just call the SCWCD. It's focused on web development, specifically with servletes and JSPs. Problem is, most books think that passing that exam is different from learning good web development practices. They think about things like this:

 

We think that's... well... sort of stupid

Here at the Head First Labs, we know a bit about your brain. And it loves to really understand things, a lot more than it loves to memorize facts that it thinks are pretty useless. We figure the best way to get you really good at answering question about JSPs and servlets is to actually TEACH you about how JSPs and servlets really work. So we think the graph is more like this:

Head First Servlets & JSP is a LEARNING book

We figure the best way to answer any question is to know what the question means, and understand the answer. That's why Head First Servlets & JSP is packed with exercises, puzzles, visual metaphors, and every other learning tool we could come up with.

And we're not just out to help you pass an exam... we're out to make sure you're a monster web developer by the time you're finished. Oh, any by the way... you'll actually have a good time doing it.

But I've already got the OLD edition!

You say you've already got Head First Servlets & JSP? You're among many others, Java developers who have already rocked Sun's certification test for J2EE 1.4. So what's new in this edition? And is it worth dropping another 40 bucks on? Here's what each edition has to offer:

First edition

• Complete coverage of J2EE 1.4 SCWCD exam.


• Tips for good exam preparation and study.


• Bonus coverage of the MVC pattern using Struts.


• Mock exam, written by the actual exam authors.

 

Second edition

• Complete coverage of J2EE 1.5 SCWCD exam.


• Tips for good exam preparation and study.


• Bonus coverage of the MVC pattern using Struts.


• Mock exam, written by the actual exam authors.


• Slightly different cover with cool red banner on top.

The new edition is based on J2EE 1.5, and the old edition was based on J2EE 1.4.

Sun released a new version of the Java Platform Enterprise Edition, version 1.5, and have just recently come out with a new set of certification tests to reflect that newer platform. One of those is the Sun Certified Web Component Developer exam, which most people just call the SCWCD.

So the second edition of Head First Servlets & JSP covers that new exam. In fact, there's an entirely new mock exam in the new edition to help you get the latest testing, all still developed by the creators of the SCWCD exam, Bert Bates and Bryan Basham.

You're right, the servlet and JSP exams for J2EE 1.4 and 1.5 are really similar.

Even though J2EE changed a lot from version 1.4 to version 1.5, the servlets and JSP specs—and implementations—didn't. So even though the new SCWCD exam is updated, the material it covers is almost identical to the material covered by the old exam.

So why buy a new edition of a mostly-the-same book?

Yes, both the old SCWCD exam and the new SCWCD exam cover mostly the same material. And yes, the two editions of Head First Servlets & JSP are pretty similar... but there are some differences:

 

Second edition

• Complete coverage of J2EE 1.5 SCWCD exam.


• Tips for good exam preparation and study.


• Bonus coverage of the MVC pattern using Struts.


• Completely new mock exam, written by the actual exam authors.


• Slightly different cover with cool red banner on top.


• Updated coverage of servlets and JSP, including information on the c:out tag and dynamic attributes.


• Hundreds of corrected errata.

So what, that's like 30 or 40% new material?

No, not at all. In fact, it's much less.

Nope. The second edition does have some important new content...

We didn't cover the c:out tag in the first edition, or dynamic attributes. They're both important, and although you won't fail if you don't know about either of these, you won't do as well as you should, either. And don't underestimate how important a completely new mock exam is. That's over 65 new questions to test your knowledge, even if you have the first edition and have already run through the old mock exam several times.
We've also corrected hundreds of mistakes, ranging from typos to serious code errors, making the second edition more accurate. And you know accuracy is critical when you're taking an exam! But that's really not the most important thing to consider... even though there's not much that's changed in the books, there's one more REALLY important reason to consider buying the new edition.

You LEARN when you INVEST

The best way to learn something new isn't to just start. The best way to learn something new is to invest yourself in that something. Ever taken up guitar? You probably not only bought a guitar, but a book or two on some chords. Want to get back into working out? You probably dropped a few bucks on a 6-minute abs DVD, or maybe a new gym membership.
Whatever the topic is, our brain associates the importance of that thing with what it costs us. That may be cash, or time, or sleep... but your brain is taking notice.

Wanna be a CERTIFIFIED Java developer? Try INVESTING in passing the SCWCD exam

Yup, you're right. You could probably learn most of what you need to know to pass the SCWCD exam from surfing forums on JavaRanch. You can find mock exam questions scattered about the web with a lot of surfing (between checking out the latest on YouTube and updating your Facebook profile). Heck, even the errata to our books is published online. But if you're serious about passing the J2EE 1.5 SCWCD exam, and you want to really learn what it takes to master servlets and JSPS... If you want your brain to pay attention when you're studying about the attributes you can use with the c:out tag... If you really think dynamic attributes could save you hours of laborious configuration file authoring (or just want to know what the heck dynamic attributes are)... Well, then you might want to do more than just dust off your first edition, or borrow a friend's copy. Sure, we make money when you buy the newer second edition. But, more importantly, your brain wakes up and takes notice. The simple act of clicking a button on Amazon.com or walking into your local Barnes & Noble signals that you want to do more than just skate by. Your brain thinks, "Wow, this must be a big deal. I better pay attention."

 

Head First Servlets & JSP,
                 second edition
Coming March, 2008

 

 

 

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