Sebastopol, CA--A year ago, the XML "buzz" dominated the talk among Internet developers. Fast-forward to the present, and it still does, but the buzz is slightly different. Says Brett McLaughlin, author of Java & XML, Second Edition (O'Reilly, US $44.95), "The XML landscape is growing at a pace I never anticipated, even in my wildest dreams." McLaughlin, who can remember the old days of XML (back in 1998), wrote about SAX 2.0 and DOM Level 2 as "twinkling in the eyes" in the first edition of his book. "They are now industry standard," he says, "I introduced JDOM, and now it's in JSR (Sun's Java Specification Request process). I hadn't even looked at SOAP, UDDI, WSDL, and SML data binding. They take up three chapters in this edition! Things have changed, to say the least."

Although the buzz continues, Java programmers still have a critical need for information that will cut through the hype and let them put XML to work. XML and Java share features that are ideal for building Web-based enterprise applications: platform-independence, extensibility, reusability, and global language (Unicode) support. Both Java and XML are based on industry standards. Together, they allow enterprises to simplify and lower the costs of information sharing in e-commerce, web services and other World Wide Web applications.

According to McLaughlin, Java & XML, Second Edition will help Java developers get to work immediately. "There's code in the book that can be dropped into existing programs, today, and increase productivity," he explains. "Additionally, the examples in this edition are much less contrived than in the first edition, so developers won't have to spend a lot of time figuring out how to use the material. It's going to provide ammo, right away, for the aspiring XML programmer."

Except for a concise introduction to XML basics, Java & XML, Second Edition focuses entirely on using XML from Java applications. The new edition adds chapters on Advanced SAX and Advanced DOM, new chapters on SOAP and data binding, and new examples throughout. Java developers who need to work with XML, or think that they will in the future--as well as developers involved in the new peer-to-peer movement, messaging, or web services--will find the new Java & XML an important companion to their work.

"I think the new edition offers a more advanced look at XML than is currently available," McLaughlin says. "While it is written like a tutorial, and covers a lot of basic material, it also covers topics I see missing from a lot of other books. For example, SAX has optional extensions that I cover, DOM has additional modules, I spend time on XML-RPC, SOAP, UDDI, WSDL, data bindingmost of these topics get, at best, cursory coverage in the other books available. These are important pieces of information that make this book particularly relevant to the developer who wants to do more than just barely hang in there, for the developer who wants to truly be a 'Java and XML guru.'"

What readers and critics said about the first edition:

"Good, solid coverage of most of the important aspects of XML and Java. Keep this book on your desk if you are developing XML with Java, and you won't go far wrong. EXCELLENT 9 out of 10 horseshoes"
--Frank Carver, JavaRanch.com, July 2001

"Java and XML are very important current pieces of technology. Individually, both subjects stand on their own and many books have been written on them. This is the first book I have read where both technologies are combined in a powerful and useful way. I learned a lot from this book and recommend people wanting to understand the two technologies consider purchasing a copy. Rating: 9 out of 10."
--Donald W. Lawson, sd.znet.com, Nov 19, 2000

"Best Web development books of 2000"
--amazon.com, Dec 2000

"The strength of Java and XML include the author's deep knowledge of his subject, and a writing style that is both clear and enthusiastic. The book was well written and easy to follow. The author doesn't waste time reiterating the same things over and over."
--James Moran, news@uk.com December 2000

"Brett McLaughlin draws on his considerable expertise and experience to show the readers how to put Java and XML together and thereby build real-world applications in which both the code and the applications are truly portable. Very highly recommended for anyone developing software for electronic commerce and indispensable, invaluable reference."
--James Cox, Bookwatch, November 2000

Online Resources:

• An interview with the author can be found online.

• An article by the author, "Moving to a Higher Plane."

• Chapter 12, "SOAP," is available free online.

• More information about the book, including Table of Contents, index, author bio, and samples.

• A cover graphic in jpeg format.

• Registration has opened for the O'Reilly Peer-to-Peer and Web Services Conference, Washington, D.C., September 18-21, 2001.

Java & XML, Second Edition
By Brett McLaughlin
Second Edition, August 2001
ISBN 0-596-00197-5, 509 pages, $44.95 (US)
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938