| Grid computing is an increasingly popular topic, and numerous books have appeared that describe grid applications and technologies. Indeed, we have contributed to this number, via the two editions of “The Grid: Blueprint for a New Computing Infrastructure,” published in 1999 and 2004, respectively, and via the establishment of the Morgan Kaufman Series on Grid Computing, which has already released a guide to Grid computing for the “Savvy Manager.”
However, what has been desperately lacking (until now) is a book that addresses the needs of the programmer. For the programmer, all previous books are just plain frustrating—they describe beautiful concepts and powerful applications, but say nothing about the nuts and bolts of how to write real programs that solve real problems. The aspiring Grid programmer need be frustrated no longer. Borja Sotomayor and Lisa Childers have produced, in Glolbus Toolkit 4: Programming Java Services, a masterly tutorial text that is surely destined to find a place beside every Grid programmer’s keyboard.
Combining readable step-by-step tutorial text with bullet-proof code examples, Borja and Lisa introduce, one by one, the key programming concepts, technique, and tools needed to build “Grid services”—Web services that implement Grid patterns—in Java. The mysteries of both Web Services specifications and security are all explained in a precise but engaging exposition. It seems inevitable that Borja and Lisa will find themselves mobbed by autograph-seeking fans at future Grid events—and also within many companies and universities, as the book is adopted by both professional software developers and within university courses. |
