Java in a Nutshell, 5th Edition covers all the extensive changes in Java 5.0. This classic remake has undergone a complete editorial makeover in order to more closely meet the needs of the modern Java programmer. Included among the improvements are more discussion on tools and frameworks and new code examples to illustrate the working of APIs. And, as in previous editions, the fifth edition is chock-full of poignant tips, techniques, examples, and practical advice.

A Look at Commons Chain, Part 2 -- In part one of this two-part series, Bill Siggelkow showed Java programmers how certain design patterns help Commons Chain to define and execute sequential sets of steps. In part two, Bill shows how Struts uses Chain to add custom behavior to request processing. Bill is the author of Jakarta Struts Cookbook.

O'Reilly Wins Five Jolt Awards (PDF) -- We are proud to announce that in the General Books category, the top prize was awarded to Head First Design Patterns. In Technical Books, the top prize went to Better, Faster, Lighter Java, and Hibernate: A Developer's Notebook took home a productivity award. And finally, in Websites and Developer Networks, the O'Reilly Network received the Product Excellence Award, and java.net (produced in collaboration with Sun and CollabNet) won a productivity award. The winners will all be featured in the June 2005 issue of Software Development magazine.

A Look at Commons Chain: The New Java Framework, Part 1 -- In part one of a two-part series, Bill Siggelkow covers the basics of Chain, a promising new framework from the Jakarta Commons subproject that lets you integrate Chain into the Struts build process. In part two, Bill will cover how Chain is being applied to Struts and other projects. Bill is the author of Jakarta Struts Cookbook.

Save $200 on a Learning Lab Certificate -- Learning programming languages and development techniques has never been easier. Using your web browser and Useractive's Learning Sandbox technology, the Learning Lab gives you hands-on, online training in a creative environment. And for a limited time, when you enroll in any of our four certificate series, you'll receive a $200 instant rebate (and a certificate from the University of Illinois College of Extended Learning upon course completion). Offer expires March 31.

Internationalization, Part 1 -- Writing software that is truly multilingual is not an easy task. In this excerpt, David Flanagan offers programming examples for the three steps to internationalization in Java: using Unicode character encoding, handling local customs, and localizing user-visible messages. David is the author of Java Examples in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition.

Streaming QuickTime with Java -- Years ago, realtime multicast streaming came to QuickTime in version 5, but people still don't realize that it can be called from QuickTime for Java. Learn how it works from this ONJava.com article by Chris Adamson, author of QuickTime for Java: A Developer's Notebook.

QuickTime for Java Components --For years, QuickTime has been able to add new features while maintaining tremendous backwards compatibility, and critical to making this work is QuickTime's system of components. Author Chris Adamson introduces QuickTime components and how they enable runtime discovery of available features, including importers and exporters for graphics and movie formats, in this excerpt from O'Reilly's recently released QuickTime for Java: A Developer's Notebook.

Embedding Multimedia in JSPs -- A JSP is the preferred choice for combining multimedia with dynamic content, because you can make the tags that you use to embed the multimedia a part of the JSP's HTML template text. Chapter 17 of Java Servlet & JSP Cookbook teaches you how to use object and embed tags to embed multimedia in Java web components. If you like this chapter, read the whole book (and up to nine others) on Safari with a free trial subscription.

Remote Method Invocation is a powerful technology for developing networked applications without having to worry about the low-level networking details. This chapter from Java Examples in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition presents examples of the RMI capabilities of the java.rmi and java.rmi.server packages. If you like this chapter, read the whole book (and up to nine others) on Safari with a free trial subscription.

A Computer Book Author's Manifesto -- In a recent post to the StudioB mailing list, Kathy Sierra shared her thoughts about the state of the computer book industry, along with some ideas about what can be done to improve the situation. Kathy is a co-creator of O'Reilly's Head First Series.

java.net Online Books -- Safari Bookshelf has expanded its services to members of the java.net community. Among Safari's many features are plugins for the Eclipse and NetBeans development environments, so users can search, annotate, read, and download the industry's leading technical books without ever leaving their working environment. Read about the new safari.java.net portal in this blog by Daniel Steinberg, editor of java.net.

What's So Java About Sun's Linux Desktop? Sun attracted sharp criticism when it released a tightly integrated Linux desktop distribution under the name Java Desktop System (JDS). In this article, Sam Hiser writes that JDS is not only the very best, most complete, and thoroughly integrated GNU/Linux distro on the market, but it's also a testament to shared values for open standards and competitive functionality. Sam is a coauthor of Exploring the JDS Linux Desktop

Creating Toolbars Using SWT -- The final element that end users expect to see in a well-designed Eclipse window is the toolbar. This sample chapter guides you through the creation of the toolbar, toolbar buttons, and a complete toolbar example, as well as making buttons work by adding listeners. Learn how to make SWT work for you from SWT: A Developer's Notebook.

A Distributed Discussion with Elliotte Rusty Harold -- In this ONJava.com interview, Elliotte Rusty Harold discusses the improvements and hazards of networking in Java, as well as the evolution of Java itself. Elliotte is the author of Java Network Programming, 3rd Edition.

Advanced Synchronization in Java Threads, Part 2 -- J2SE 5.0 introduces new utilities for coordinating multiple threads. But where you have synchronized threads, you run the risk of deadlock. Here's a look at deadlock and some guidelines for preventing it, excerpted from O'Reilly's recently released Java Threads, 3rd Edition.