Chapter 2: Understanding Enterprise Platforms

Introduction

This chapter provides background briefings for developers experienced on one platform who have not had exposure to the alternate technology. It is not a training manual, but it should help you understand the fundamental concepts of one environment by linking them into what you already know about the other.

The rivalry between the Microsoft and Sun platforms is as entrenched as that between supporters of the Apple user interface and proponents of Windows. However, the growing reality of corporate operations is that organizations implement components using the platform that best suits their needs, rather than remain wedded to one particular ideology or another.

It is increasingly rare that as a J2EE developer, you have no exposure to Microsoft .NET during your career. Indeed, the ability to work both with .NET and J2EE is an attractive proposition for employers. Similarly, if you are a .NET developer and have not worked with Java, the second part of the chapter helps you understand the functionality and capabilities of the J2EE platform. Again, this is not intended as a reference book but attempts to correlate concepts from the J2EE world to what you already know about .NET.

Note

If you are an experienced Microsoft .NET developer, go to the section on “J2EE Fundamentals for .NET Developers.”

At the end of this chapter is a summary table that lists the equivalent components from .NET and J2EE.