Professional BlazeDS: Creating Rich Internet Applications with Flex® and Java®

Foreword

As with many interactions between developers these days, I first met Shashank Tiwari online via his blog. He was writing thoughtfully about Java and Flex back in the days when this was mostly uncharted territory where only a handful of brave developers had ventured. Through those interactions we began making plans to lead more Java developers to the blissful world of Java and Flex.

Having been a professional software developer for more than ten years, I've met developers from a wide variety of backgrounds, including hackers, scientists, teachers, plumbers, and athletes. There is no better way to know what a developer is like than to write code and articles with them. Over the past few years Shashank and I have co-authored a number of articles and code samples together. From these experiences, I know that Shashank is a top notch Java developer and a Flex master. What makes Shashank's books stand out, however, is that he is not only a superb developer but also an excellent teacher.

I was very excited when I heard that Shashank was working on a new book focused on integrating Java and Flex through BlazeDS. So many Java developers I interact with want to build better software but are reluctant to learn a new technology stack. Flex and BlazeDS provide a great path for Java developers to build better software that users love to use. The wealth of out-of-the-box and community-built Flex components enables developers to rapidly assemble great applications. But there is a learning ...