Beginner Question

[Michael Taylor]

I am new to the this topic and was wondering how easy it is to take an existing program and intergrate it into an Intranet...or does the program have to be written specifically for that purpose? I just don't want to have to re-code a huge amount of changes. Not sure how this book might assist me in this goal.
Thanks

[Reuben Cleetus]

Michael,
What sort of app are you speaking of, and what do you mean by Intergrating it into an Intranet?
Is it a GUI App or a Web App? If it's a GUI app, then take a look at Sun's WebStart deployment. It's a GREAT improvement over using traditional Applet deployment, and allows you to ensure that your clients are always running the latest version of your code on the latest JDK, using one-click launch. JDK 1.4 really brings Applets a new lease on life through WebStart.
Regards,
Reuben.

Originally posted by Michael Taylor:
I am new to the this topic and was wondering how easy it is to take an existing program and intergrate it into an Intranet...or does the program have to be written specifically for that purpose? I just don't want to have to re-code a huge amount of changes. Not sure how this book might assist me in this goal.
Thanks

[Michael Taylor]

Reuben,
It is similar to an inventory control application (nothing really fancy). It is currently accessed via a shortcut on the desktop (a GUI App), but I wanted to see about making it accessable through the Intranet...it just seems more efficient to do it that way. I just didn't know how difficult it would be to accomplish this task. I am on the Novice side of coding in JAVA and haven't really gotten my feet wet with Applets or Web Based JAVA application coding. I guess I am just trying to see what it would take to do this and which resources would best assist me.
Thanks,
Michael

[Ram Dhan Yadav K]

I think you should look at applets or serverside java for accomplising your task.

[Jason Kretzer]

I have said this on other posts and so I will keep it short. Go to a local University(if available) and check out their CS textbook section. They almost always have a very good selection. Alternately, you could find a book that would be provide such information and get it through interlibrary loan at a public library.
------------------
Jason R. Kretzer
Software Engineer

[Joel Peach]

Michael,
Undertaking a Java project can be a piece of cake, or it can be a several year long effort that consumes the resources of thousands of dollars and person-hours.
Part of what you should consider in evaluating the project is your experience that is like the experience that will be necessary. For example, consider:

How much experience do you or your resources have doing a migration/systems integration project?

How much experience do you have coding Model View Controller client GUI applications?

How much experience do you have designing client/server applications?

How much experience do you have writing web applications (ASP, COM, VB, C++) etc.
Once you've considered these questions, then I think you'll be in a better position to assess the cost of taking on such an initiative in Java. Many of Java facilities and features are a piece of cake to program in and very similar to C++/VB/Microsoft analogs. Some Java techniques are complicated, like CORBA, JNI. All have a learning curve, however, and your best way to get a taste for that is to pick up an introductory book on Java and get programming.
<shameless plug>
I know Wrox publishes a book by Ivor Horton called, "Beginning Java 2 - Jdk 1.3 Edition".
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1861003668/
It is very comprehensive and available at nearly every book outlet. This book will give you a great overview taste of the language.
</shameless plug>
Once you're comfortable with the language, you might move on to other books that discuss the specific implementation technologies such as RMI, JSP/Servlets, J2EE.
Best of luck!
-Joel
[This message has been edited by Joel Peach (edited December 11, 2001).]

[Michael Taylor]

Joel,
Let me give you a brief overview of my background/experience. I recently graduated with my Masters in Information Technology where I learned JAVA and used the book you referenced along with VB, ASP(w/JavaScript and VBScript), HTML, and ORACLE. The only coding experience I have is from my school projects and this one application (done for a small company in Visual Cafe). I have the basic+ knowledge about the language and how to code I just haven't coded anything for JAVA based on a WEB environment. I am just trying to take that next step forward in my pursuit of JAVA knowledge and experience. I have started preparations for taking the certification and I learn much easier by doing rather than just reading. I am trying to see if I can use an existing application and tweek it for WEB use or if I have to start from scratch and code it specifically with the WEB in mind.
Thanks,
Michael

[Rick Salsa]

Hi Michael,
If you don't want to rewrite it with the web in mind, you could deploy the program using Java Web Start. Also, I have heard of people rewriting their applications as an applet and deploying it that way. Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with that, so I can't help much there. The applet could pose some problems if the application needs to access files on the client's pc though.
Hope that gives you some ideas.....
-rick