| With the introduction of Java in the mid-1990s, its portability was obvious on the client side. Java has quickly become the language of choice for writing applications. Most browsers support Java, and Java applets and Java applications can run on any machine or operating system. But this is not enough for enterprise applications, which require serverside Java support. Writing applications for the enterprise is usually a difficult task. Enterprise applications must be scalable, portable, and secure. That’s what Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) is all about: a complete architecture and framework for developing and deploying server-side Java components. Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) is the heart of the J2EE platform. It enables simplified development of distributed Java applications. Other J2EE run-time services, such as JNDI, JDBC, and JMS, are vital in completing the full picture of server-side component architecture.
Since the EJB 1.0 specification was introduced by Sun Microsystems in 1998, it quickly gained industry momentum among application developers and vendors. Today, more than 25 application server vendors support EJB technology in their products. Charles Stack, president and CEO of Flashline, states, “The EJB component architecture allows vendors to simplify application development, [and] speed the delivery of high-quality products to market…The market for commercial EJB technology-based components is rapidly growing as more corporations adopt the J2EE platform as their primary development architecture.” More than 20 companies collaborated with Sun Microsystems to finalize the EJB 2.0 specification in 2001. This demonstrates the industry’s support of and commitment to building enterprise applications using EJB technology.
This book focuses primarily on teaching the EJB technology, but it also covers other J2EE technologies that are essential to understanding EJBs. You’ll be introduced to all aspects of EJB development using the most current version of the specification. |