Reviews for Developing Web Services with Apache Axis

1. Maybe of use but somewhat flawed

   Rated 2 out of 5 stars, October 12rd, 2007

   Had this book been a freely available web page I would have happily overlooked its several flaws and recommended it as a useful resource. Having paid money for it I am not so charitable.
   
   The author's stated aim is to provide a no-nonsense learn-by-example introduction to producing web services using Axis. Unfortunately this has led him to present a very narrow view of a broad subject. Yes you can produce web services successfully following these instructions, but they may very well not be the most appropriate for your particular needs and he provides no real clues as to other approaches. Also some of his instructions have become out of date (e.g. he uses the Eclipse WTP tools to create WSDL files. The current WTP visual editor looks quite different from the diagrams in the book). As his instructions are all pretty much step-by-step lists, with no explanation of why, it can be difficult to adjust when these tools change.
   
   The typography and layout are particularly poor. Code samples are cluttered with annotations, arrows and boxes in all directions severely reduce the clarity. Even the contents page is a mess.
   
   Clearly English is not the authors first language - not his fault but he really should have had a native speaker check his usage. It is always possible to eventually understand what he intends to say but some passages take several readings.

2. Complete walkthrough

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, July 12th, 2007

   This is a great book if you need to learn how to implement a web service, for integrations as well as stand alone services. The writer describes the concepts very simple. Also he gives you a complete introduction on how to setup Eclipse for developing services. About fifty pages are dedicated to message encryption.
   I'd recommend this book if you'd like to get started with web services fast. It is good both for learning, and to be used as a reference guide.

3. A good introduction

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, January 12st, 2007

   This title is an excellent introduction to the world of web services and Axis. Being only about 150 pages makes this book an excellent little read, it doesn't intend to go on and on, Just gives you the steps you need to carry out to successfully deploy/use a web service. I would probably say it is for those who like to learn by example. I found this an excellent introduction, but that may just be me, I have always enjoyed short books and those in particular that teach by example.