I really don't like this book, and don't understand the positive reviews it got. It's a vague and shallow overview of a bunch of ajax-related framework that will not help you get anything useful done. Buy only if you have money to waste. If you are a Java developer interested in Ajax, and looking for a useful book, try "Practical Ajax Projects with Java Technology". Not perfect but worth some money.

"Ajax" is simple ... but if you want to use Ajax, then you need to write JavaScript. Quite probably lots of client-side JavaScript.

And that's where "Pro Ajax and Java Frameworks" comes in. It does a good job of explaining Ajax, what it is, and how your web app will benefit from using it. So do all the other Ajax books on the shelf.

But that's just Chapter 1. The REST of the book discusses tools and techniques for writing and debugging JavaScript. And then introduces some great, full-featured Javascript libraries to save you the tedium of having to "roll your own".

This information is enough to help you successfully launch your first Ajax-based web app. It doesn't matter if you're using Apache or IIS; if your backend is J2EE, .Net or simple HTML: the book will pay for itself on your first project.

But all of that's only the FIRST half of the book! The most valuable information is covered in the second half, which goes into great detail on how to effectively use Ajax with frameworks like Struts, Tapestry, Spring and, lastly, with JSF.

A great book: highly recommended for any web developer who wants to understand Ajax ... and how to use it effectively.

As users demand a richer website experience and developers try to create sites that don't require additional client-side add-ons many are turning to the combination of Ajax and Java. Of course Ajax does not require Java as it will work with ActiveX as well but the point is that the client does not need to add anything that is not already included in any modern browser.

In this book the authors take the reader through the basic functions of using the Ajax techniques. For each technique they do a good job of explaining what they are doing, the purpose of the program, work through an example of the program, and explaining each step. However, I don't know that I would consider this book up to the typical level of other books in the Pro series by the publisher. It is a good introductory text and brings the reader up to speed with the average programmer using Ajax but not the superior level that the Pro series usually works up to. On the other hand, this is one of the better introductory to intermediate level texts. Pro Ajax and Java Frameworks is highly recommended to the programmer new to Ajax techniques and recommended to those already involved with Ajax.