Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:  
Summary: Very Good, But ...
Comment: I generally agree with most of the positive reviews. I always disliked the verbose style of old Orielly books - no white space, few diagrams, summaries, tables, etc. However buyers should consider some downsides to the style of this book.
You'll need to get through 700+ pages to complete this book compared to about half that for "Professional SCWCD Certification" Granted the scope of the exam has grown, but this is also due to it's style, and making it an introductory book as well as a study guide. On one hand, you'll find you will read these pages faster. So it's nearly a wash. On the other, there were many times I wanted the shorter version of the test topic.
Some may find the style makes them a bit dyslexic. For some, too many pictures can be distracting.
It doesn't seem it will be a great reference. However, its good writing may trump the fact that it's not organized like a reference.
Overall, it's hard to beat, especially if this is the one book you get on JSP/Servlets - well written, large scope, goes from introduction to SCWCD. But it may not be the best for someone who's just looking for a study guide or reference.
Bottom line: I would buy it despite these stylistic downsides.
Customer Rating:
Summary: More fun from the Head First team
Comment: The Head First Team has created another excellent book for those developers seeking to gain the adulation and praise from their friends, family, and colleagues that comes with SCWCD certification (and financial considerations from one's employer). While the focus of the book is to prepare the reader for the certification exam, it is a great resource for someone that just wants to get a handle on servlets and JSP. The main prerequisite is a working knowledge of Java.
The book begins with a thorough presentation of how web applications work. The first three chapters are devoted to building a good foundation. The explanations are clear and concise. The illustrations with the handwritten notes really add to the learning experience. The chapters on servlets cover the request/response cycle, attributes and listeners, and session management in an equally effective manner. Scripted JSP (and scriptless), JSTL, and custom tags are the JSP topics covered. But the chapters on Web deployment and web security may be the most valuable to me. This book definitely cleared the fog for me in those areas. At the end of the chapters are mock exam questions to "tune you up" and to let you know if you need to "review before continuing".
Like "Head First Java", the topic is not exhausted, but rather what you need to know to start is included. The boundaries are set by the exam and the exam expectations are set by the real world. The book is fun to read and this is a good thing (750+ pages). The way that the book is written reinforces the learning experience to assist the reader in retaining this information, because there is a lot to know for this exam. Besides who can prepare you better for the exam that the people who wrote it?
Customer Rating:
Summary: Pretty good
Comment: Planning to take the SCWCD exam and confident after reading book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: SCWCD Personal Trainer
Comment: I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who was getting into front-end Web development and planned to take the SCWCD exam. The Head First series has a canny way of getting you to learn concepts that aren't intuitive. The authors assume you know Java, enough to have passed the SCJP exam (a SCWCD requirement). They start by walking you through Web development from the nuts and bolts of HTTP through more abstract topics like MVC and lifecycle management. They introduce challenges you will overcome in the later chapters, such as using Struts to separate business logic from the HTML view. There is coverage of servlets, JSP, deployment descriptors, and the Standard Tag Library.
If you just want to learn about servlets and JSPs, and not their underlying concepts, there are other GUI-centric books that would cover those topics in greater depth. The book IS meant to get you to learn the SCWCD, so if you haven't coded Web applications before, the authors are workout trainers for your flabby mind. Techniques like fill in the blank, code magnets, questions at the end of the chapters and the mock exam at the end act like various exercise equipment to help you prepare for the exam. If you are a Windows developer, the Mac OS X-only interface and commands may throw you. But as long as you're able to download Tomcat 5 and are command-line savvy, their methods of getting 'down and dirty' with the nuts and bolts of implementing a website will help you pass the exam.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Too many errors, typos, and inconsistencies
Comment: I actually like this book, perhaps a lot. Its physical quality (cover, paper, print, etc.) is good enough. Its approach to teaching is good (lots of charts, tables, diagrams, graphics). And, although I don't know for sure, I have no reason to expect that this book's technical information is other than correct. The problem: 1) typos, 2) grammatical errors, 3) mislabeling and inconsistencies between the text and the code. It's all pretty horrendous, completely unacceptable, not professional at all. Sorry authors, if you want a good review, you must complete the job with a thorough edit of this book. As it stands now, it has potential, but it is not finished.
Steve Whitlatch
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