Sebastopol, CA--Extreme Programming (XP) methods have been accepted
quickly because its core practices--particularly code sharing,
test-first development, and continuous integration--resonated with
software developers everywhere. Oddly enough, although most developers
turn to XP methods in order to code real, hands-on, and extensible
projects quickly (think: "code comes first"), most books on Extreme
Programming focus on theory.
Not O'Reilly's just-released Java Extreme Programming Cookbook
(Burke & Coyner, $34.95 US).
With a little over 100 "recipes" for getting down to business and
actually using XP, the "Java Extreme Programming Cookbook" doesn't try
to "sell" you on XP; it succinctly documents the most important
features of popular open source tools for XP in Java--including Ant,
Junit, HttpUnit, Cactus, Tomcat, Xdoclet--and then digs right in,
implementing the tools in real-world, rapid-development environments.
The wealth of open source tools for Java XP is simultaneously a boon to
the parsimonious developer, and one of the biggest challenges he or she
faces. Sorting through the wide variety of tools available from various
sources and figuring out how to use them effectively can be tedious and
time-consuming. "Developers need to know how and when to use a specific
open source tool and how to integrate that tool (or concept, as in Mock
Objects) into their development environment," explains coauthor Brian
Coyner. The recipes in "Java Extreme Programming Cookbook" showcase how
to use the most important features of these XP tools. Many of these
tools are geared towards unit testing, while others are invaluable for
continuous integration. With these examples, you can select the most
effective tools to accomplish your goals, then implement them in a
cohesive development environment.
Each "recipe" offers solutions that help put an extreme programming
environment together: they provide code for automating the build
process and testing. Although the time saved using any one of these
solutions will more than pay for the book, "Java Extreme Programming
Cookbook" is more than just a collection of cut-and-paste code. Each
"recipe" also includes explanations of how and why the approach works,
so you can adapt the techniques to similar situations. Throughout, the
book reflects an implicit assumption that refactoring, unit testing,
and continuous integration are the best ways to develop high quality
software.
If you want to set up a test-driven development environment that allows
you to focus on writing testable code--now--Burke and Coyner's new book
will prove invaluable.
Additional Resources:
Java Extreme Programming Cookbook
By Eric M.Burke, Brian M. Coyner
0-596-00387-0, Order Number: 3870
288 pages, $34.95 US, $54.95 CA, 24.95 UK
order@oreilly.com
1-800-998-9938
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