Web developers must master several technologies to create sophisticated Web sites. Platinum Edition Using HTML 4, XML, and Java 1.2 gives Web developers this information in a concise tutorial/reference style that contains lots of code examples and real world solutions. This book not only teaches the most popular technologies, but shows Web developers how to build the most popular Web applications, including animation, interactive forms, Web databases, e-commerce, and Web broadcasting.
Effective Web development involves wise integration of a number of various programming disciplines and
Using HTML 4, XML, and Java 1.2 covers a good chunk of them. Aimed at intermediate to advanced level Web developers, this massive guide offers minimal introductory material. It moves quickly into a section that offers an HTML tag reference and discussions of tables, frames, forms, style sheets, and image maps. This section sets the foundation for Web development and moves at a quick pace.
The authors then illustrate the basic concepts behind XML and discuss some of the current implementations. They also show how to use JavaScript for client-side scripting, how to implement cookies, and how to control browser objects interactively.
The authors cover the confusing state of Dynamic HTML, describing both Microsoft and Netscape implementations of DHTML and offering suggestions for cross-vendor DHTML use. Chapters on CGI/ASP and Java follow. While all of these sections present extremely key technologies, space constraints limit the discussion to the most important points; don't look for a comprehensive guide to Java programming. Fortunately, the companion CD-ROM fills in many of the blanks with inclusion of five Special Edition titles as well as third-party software programs. --Stephen W. Plain