Web Application Architecture

An in-depth examination of the core concepts and general principles of Web application development.

This book uses examples from specific technologies (e.g., servlet API or XSL), without promoting or endorsing particular platforms or APIs. Such knowledge is critical when designing and debugging complex systems. This conceptual understanding makes it easier to learn new APIs that arise in the rapidly changing Internet environment.

• Includes discussions of markup languages: HTML, the eXtensible Markup Language (XML), XHTML, eXtensible Stylesheet Language (XSL), and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
• Contains exercises geared to constructing an advanced XML application that makes use of XML and XSL parsers
• Explores emerging technologies: Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE), industry-specific XML standards, Resource Description Framework (RDF), and XML query languages

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Before the Web: TCP/IP

3. Birth of the World Wide Web: HTTP

4. Web Servers

5. Web Browsers

6. HTML and its Roots

7. XML Languages and Applications

8. Dynamic Web Applications

9. Approaches to Web Application Development

10.Application Primer: Virtual Realty Listing Services

11.Emerging Technologies

About the Authors

Leon Shklar heads up the development team for the online edition of the Wall Street Journal at Dow Jones. Prior to joining Dow Jones he spent six years at Bell Communications Research and almost as long in the world of dot coms and Internet software. Leon holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Rutgers University.

Richard Rosen also works for the online edition of the Wall Street Journal as an Application Architect. He began his career at Bell Labs, where his work with relational databases and the Internet prepared him the world of Web application development, including e-commerce projects for 3Com, Outpost.com and Reuters. Rich holds an M.S. in Computer Science from Stevens Institute of Technology.