Since development first began on Spring in 2003, there's been a constant buzz about it in Java development publications and corporate IT departments. The reason is clear: Spring is a lightweight Java framework in a world of complex heavyweight architectures that take forever to implement. Spring is like a breath of fresh air to overworked developers. In Spring, you can make an object secure, remote, or transactional, with a couple of lines of configuration instead of embedded code. The resulting application is simple and clean. In Spring, you can work less and go home early, because you can strip away a whole lot of the redundant code that you tend to see in most J2EE applications. You won't be nearly as burdened with meaningless detail. In Spring, you can change your mind without the consequences bleeding through your entire application. You'll adapt much more quickly than you ever could before. Spring: A Developer's Notebook offers a quick dive into the new Spring framework, designed to let you get hands-on as quickly as you like. If you don't want to bother with a lot of theory, this book is definitely for you. You'll work through one example after another. Along the way, you'll discover the energy and promise of the Spring framework. This practical guide features ten code-intensive labs that'll rapidly get you up to speed. You'll learn how to do the following, and more:

• install the Spring Framework
• set up the development environment
• use Spring with other open source Java tools such as Tomcat, Struts, and Hibernate
• master AOP and transactions
• utilize ORM solutions

As with all titles in the Developer's Notebook series, this no-nonsense book skips all the boring prose and cuts right to the chase. It's an approach that forces you to get your hands dirty by working through one instructional example after another-examples that speak to you instead of at you.

Rating:

Rating:

Rating:

Depending on reader background,  January 12 2008
Submitted by Tim   [Respond | View]

I think this book depends on the reader's background with Java.

This book will probably suit people that is fairly new to Java and wants to get to grip with Spring ASAP. Each chapter is structured in the format: "how we usually do it without spring", "why don't we try", "how do we do that", "insert example", "what just happened", then repeat the cycle to "how we do that" which couldn't in my opinion be simpler.

There are errors in examples in the book, there's no excuses as the amount of error exists in nearly every example which is insane for a book published by O'Reilly of all people. However in fairness they did release a PDF pointing out all the errors in the book and correction and most importantly they do have the example files for download so you shouldn't need to type everything out in the first place. The examples for download contains all the corrections.
Both of which is available here at O'Reilly site under "Examples", it also contains a .jar folder for most of the .jar you'll need.

Writing this in 2008, the versions of framework that it talks about is a little out of date though, so when you download the frameworks you need to make adjustments to the .jar filenames in all the ant script it provides (its not hard, just something you need to do to get every example running).

Sorry for long post, just wanted to write a fair review after reading a few negative ones mostly dwelling on the example errors. This is a well written, down to earth book that aims to get you to grip with Spring concepts in no time, providing you already know the pains of Java without Spring.



Examples are insufficient and incomplete,  November 27 2007
Submitted by Re   [Respond | View]

If you want to learn Spring, I recommend NOT to buy this book. You are wasting your time to figure out what is now missing in the example instead of learning Spring.



A developer's notebook? better is spring notes,  August 03 2007
Submitted by Michal Kapusta   [Respond | View]

The begining of the book was very good written, but by the next usual step - when you want to try the sample codes in the book you will get very soon angry. Cause nothing works like it should. Many mistakes, bugs. After the 3 chapter a "finished" the book. When you are a beginner, you want to try everything. But it is not possible with this notebook.


Good for new learners if example codes can work properly,  December 09 2006
Submitted by David   [Respond | View]

I am a new spring learner. When I read it at the beginning, I found it very helpful to build the concept, and learnt the refactor methodology. Unfortunately, the example codes were so poorly tested and could not work. I became very frustrated and disappointed. So I decided to find an alternative book for my learning.

It could be a great book for new learners if the codes can be reviewed.


Powerful but simple explanations,  October 09 2006
Submitted by sureshbh   [Respond | View]

These authors are masters! Bruce, by taking kayak example takes the reader into the world Spring. He creates interest in the reader. I was just surfing, and found this treasure in oreilly site, and read the first sample chapter off the internet, and I ordered instantly! I got it in 2 days, and I finished the book in about a week's time. Guesss what, I am glad I read this book. I am looking to find a simialr book for Hibernate now!!


Disappointing,  September 19 2006
Submitted by Rudolf Castelino   [Respond | View]

I bought this book with great hopes of learning about Spring. It was concise to the point .. something i like.

Unfortunately the examples in the book are filled with mistakes. If it was a problem with spellings it would have been OK, unfortunately the code doesn't deploy on the supposed environments.

The only thing the book did was give me an incentive to learn Spring. The spring documentation is a much better source of information .. and it is FREEE


Such poor quality editing/testing!,  August 02 2006
Submitted by Anonymous Reader   [Respond | View]

I am having the exact same problems with the book. Although the information about Spring in general is helpful and useful, a lot of the example code in the book is incorrect or incomplete and is making this book very difficult to use.


If you have no time and don't like "Deep" theory. Try this book,  June 02 2006
Submitted by Anonymous Reader   [Respond | View]

Spring is an amazing framework. It implements a practical lightweight container and help developers to build a "resonable" applicatin. But, "lightweight" doesn't mean "simple". To explain Spring well is not an easy job. Any book attempting do this might comprise more than 1000 pages.

As you know, there are a few good books talking about Spring(such as Pro Spring, Professional Java Development with the Spring Framework etc.). Most of them are more than 700 pages. They describe more details of Spring than this book does. Nevertheless, considering "pages", this small good book does its good job. Using straightful, practical examples help readers learn Spring step by step.

If you'd like to understand Spring, but you have no time and you don't like "Deep" theory. Try this book.


Such poor quality editing/testing!,  May 05 2006
Submitted by Anonymous Reader   [Respond | View]

I have just bought the book and am struggling to get the examples to work. Please can you send me all examples with all the problems corrected.


Excellent Book,  May 04 2006
Submitted by Bobby   [Respond | View]

Great book !

I'm working through the examples and really enjoying it . Wasn't too sure about the style of the book.

One question though in his web mvc examples he sets up his facade as an instance variable, surely this is a dangerous practice ( thread-safe etc.)





Really Poor,  March 17 2006
Submitted by JonBowden   [Respond | View]

I have the "updated" book. I have downloaded the lastest code samples.

I unable to get Chapter 2 these to work. Although the zip file is dated March 3rd on the site, the timestamp of the individual entries are still back at July 05.

We went to the IBM site followed the tutorial and the the sample code worked first time.

I want my money back!

Blimey O'Reilly!


Horrible Testing and Review,  January 25 2006
Submitted by Anonymous Reader   [Respond | View]

This had the potential to be a great book but with all the typos it really failed in comparison to other books in this series. I understand timelines and would like to know how we obtain the second printing, if we've ended up with the first printing.
My appreciation for offering the second printing to those who did purchase the first.


Really well done!,  December 05 2005
Submitted by Fabio   [Respond | View]

I found this book really usefull notwithstanding some negative reviews I read immediately after buying it...It's really coincise and clear..There some mistakes in the attached code but you can overcome them in a matter of minutes..It's an help to delve into in the end..

A good starting point on Spring!


Not what I've come to ecpext from the Notebook series,  November 10 2005
Submitted by PigTrickster   [Respond | View]

This review is specifically for the first printing of this book.

I bought this on the power and helpfulness of the 1.5 Tiger notebook which saved me time. Alas, this notebook does not measure up... yet. This is not meant to imply that Spring does not, but this notebook does not do Spring justice.

While this book eludes to the power of Spring the poor examples in Chapter 2 leave me wondering. Like other I buy these books to SAVE me time, not waste it. Alas, the first printing of this book has been a gargantuan waste of time. Thus, the book fails.

Things it needs to do is build more slowly on the examples while demonstrating which pieces refer to one another in the config files. Also the errors are more than plentiful.

Personally I use this books to guide me through the waters of building a similar app. But this book cant even get your through their own example app easily. <sigh>

Yes, I would be DELIGHTED to receive a second printing of this when available. I'll even revise this post.


Such poor quality editing/testing!,  September 20 2005
Submitted by Anonymous Reader   [Respond | View]

Mike. I just bought a copy of this book. It says "Updated" in the upper right hand corner of the cover. However, the printing history on the inside does not mention second printing. What do I have? Do I have the seond printing you mention in your post? Thanks


Sample Source Code for Chapter 9 is missing in downlodadable code,  September 04 2005
Submitted by Werner   [Respond | View]

The Spring rich client examples 9-1 until 9-7 are not included in the downloadable code.
Why?
The code samples include only the examples until Chapter 8.


Such poor quality editing/testing!,  July 27 2005
Submitted by Anonymous Reader   [Respond | View]

Send email to gregc@oreilly.com with your name, mailing address, phone number, and name of the store or website where you purchased your copy of the first printing of Spring: A Developer's Notebook. Thanks.


Such poor quality editing/testing!,  July 26 2005
Submitted by Anonymous Reader   [Respond | View]

That's very decent of you; how can we go about getting a replacement copy?


Such poor quality editing/testing!,  July 12 2005
Submitted by Anonymous Reader   [Respond | View]

Yes, I admit, we screwed up, at least on the technical side. We made some last minute changes to the code (particularly in Chapter 2) that backfired; they weren't sufficiently tested. We're sorry about that: it shouldn't have happened.

We've been busy since discovering the problems. We had a second technical review, to find *all* the problems with the code, and we've corrected them. The second printing has just gone to the printer. We'd be glad to send you, and other readers who have the first printing, a cMeopy of the reprint when it's available.

Mike Loukides
Editor, O'Reilly Media, Inc.


Such poor quality editing/testing!,  July 12 2005
Submitted by mflgeek   [Respond | View]

O'Reilly have really taken their eye off the ball with this one. Usually accurate and precise, they have succummed to the trend (most notably set by the original Wrox Press) of producing books on the latest subject matter as soon as the first draft has been delivered by the writer(s).

It's really obvious with this publication; There are so many glaring omissions, typographical errors and just plain mistakes that as I complete a section, I am filled with dread at what errors await over the next page.

I'm fed up trying to debug someone elses errors; I do that every day anyway :(


Gaps in code?,  July 05 2005
Submitted by Anonymous Reader   [Respond | View]

I'm in complete agreement that my experience has been frustrating do to all the typos/ommissions that I have to troubleshoot. The point of this series is to focus on actually building some examples not try to guess what's been left out of the text now.

I left a longer entry on my blog.


Gaps in code?,  May 25 2005
Submitted by cocciag   [Respond | View]

The format of these books is great and I was really looking forward to using this latest version, however, it appears that the code examples are insufficient and/or incomplete... An example is in Chapter 1 'Getting started'. When moving from the simple Injector Dependency to the Spring-based Injector Dependency, the text mentions that we just have to replace our assembler with a Spring version and provide a configuration file - there's more to it than that... We need to modify the ArrayListRentABike class, adding a default constructor and accessors for storeName, we need to move the bikes.add() code into the default constructor... And the ant build script doesn't account for the spring.jar classpath, or moving the xyz-context.xml to a place on the classpath.

Of course all these things can be solved relatively easily and quickly, however, they are interference when trying to focus on the issues raised in the text; most of my time gets spent fixing up silly config problems.

Disappointing...


Excellent..but Where are the sample codes??Dated April27,2005,  April 27 2005
Submitted by hsondhi   [Respond | View]

I started this book and is exceptional as other NOTEBOOK series. But could not find sample codes.

See larger cover