by Joe Carpenter
Keeping on top of resources for something that changes as rapidly as the Java world is a daunting task, to say the least. As a result, any listing of Java resources is going to be obsolete before it's completed.
Rather than providing a comprehensive listing of every site that mentions Java (Digital's AltaVista Web search engine returns more than 200,000 hits on the word "java"), this list is intended to provide information on a few of the ever -expanding number of Java Web sites, data on good places to look for more wWeb sites, and information on local Java users' groups. So, these sites are by no means the totality of what's out there—they're just a starting point for you to begin your Java reference bookmark lists. They're in no particular order, and they have no other qualification beyond the fact that I think that Java programmers of all levels will find them useful in some way.
Because one of Java's main strengths lies in it's ability to imbed applets into Web pages, it's a natural that the Web is an excellent source of information for Java development. These Web sites provide a great deal of information, from API calls to the latest news in the world of Java. They're an invaluable resource for any level of Java programmer.
This is probably the best place to start when looking for Java resources. It's the home of JavaSoft, the company spuin -off of Sun Microsystems tofor handleing their Java operations. Here you will find extensive documentation on the Java API, the JDK, and the Java language itself. You can download the latest versions of the JDK and other Java-related tools. Anyone serious about programming in Java will explore this site fully and return frequently.
Gamelan (pronounced "gamma-lahn") is the granddaddy of all Java resource sites. It has a huge listing of just about anything available on the Web for Java. From its extensive applet collection to its listing of other outside Java resourcesresouces, it'sGamelan is a great place to start browsing to see what other Java programmers are up to.
URL: http://www.jars.com/
The main focus of JARS is to provide ratings for Java applets that are available on the World Wide Web. Each applet is reviewed by a panel of independent judges who base the rating on a set criterion. If an applet achieves specified totals for its rating, distinction may be recognized by the following JARS awards:
In addition, applets with source codea publiclypublically available source code are further acknowledged, and a link to the source is provided when possible.
This is a great site is great for to checking out other programmer's applets, and seeing how yours stacks up against the rest of the world.
URL: http://www.magnastar.com/javology/
Javology is a slick online magazine that covers the current events taking place in the Java world. With articles about breaking news, interviews with the movers and shakers in the Java community, and other up-to-date information about what's happening with Java, Javology helps people who are interested in Java stay on top of what's going on.
Team Java is inteneded to assist Java consultantsconstultants by providing information regarding available jobs, news, information on available jobs, educational materials, and other useful Java resources. TheyTeam Java also haves a an applet-of-the-day service, called "Java the Hut.". Overall, this site is a very useful site for people who use or plan to use Java in a professional environment, but even weekend Java warriors will find this site useful.
As good as the Web is for distributing information about Java, it can be a bit impersonal at times. User groups let you meet with people in your area who share an interest in Java. User groups are springing up all over; if there isn't one in your area listed here, try looking in local papers, the Web, or UseNet news for more up-to-date information. If you still can't find one, start your own!
Java-SIG is a special interest group that acts as the national user group for anyone interested in developing, publishing, or even just playing with Java, HotJava, and related technologies and applications. Many smaller local Java users' groups have already appeared, and Java-SIG unites these groups into a global information network.
For information about joining Java-SIG, contact them at java-sig@sug.org, or call them at (617) 232-0514. You can also access Java-SIG via the World Wide Web at http://www.sug.org/java-sig.html.
Java-SIG's address is:
Local users' groups are popping up all over as Java's popularity—and the desire to learn about it—spreads. Some local Java user groups (commonly called JUGs) are formal affairs with dues and regular meetings. Others are more casual. The term local is used loosely; JUGs have appeared around the world as well as around the country.
The following pages provide details on most of the JUGs. If you'd like more information about a particular group, use the provided contact information. Java-SIG maintains a list of JUGs that is updated on a regular basis. The URL is
SacJUG is a small but quickly growing group of Webmasters, programmers, and basic Internet and computer users who want to learn more about Java. SacJUG's philosophy is to share all of the information it has with everyone and create an environment that is conducive to learning and growing. The group hopes to become a resource for Java programming and consulting in its region.
The SVCS is still forming; it had its first meeting in February 1996. The primary purpose of SVCS is to educate the community through public forums for discussing personal computing. The meetings are held at OmniCell Technologies. (OmniCell makes point-of-use inventory control systems for use in hospitals.)
The group is composed of very technical individuals who want to share technical issues and observations with one another.
DAMJUG focuses primarily, but not exclusively, on topics related to programming and design in Java. As of January 1996, DAMJUG had a membership of approximately 40 people who are excited about Java on professional, academic, and intellectual levels.
I JUG is dedicated to the education of its members and the development of business-oriented applets that demonstrate Java's powerful future. I JUG has a unique philosophy in which learning is accelerated learning by the dividingsion ourof its members into small "Dream Teams" that attack a local Java topic and then present it back to the group. This method has been shown to provide enthusiasm and quick results from its participants.
The philosophy is fairly open. MAJUG tries to meet people who use Java and then learn/network from one another. Meetings tend to have one user-focused presentation and one vendor-focused presentation. Special interest group meetings are in the planning stages so that meetings will be more frequent and focused. The group includes both commercial and government people, along with several of the independent variety. MAJUG is sponsored by Rapid Systems Solutions, one of Washington Technology’s Fast 50 Corporations for 1996.
The RTP JUG has been established to provide Java-related information to its members, to facilitate contacts between its members, and to promote the use of Java technology in the mid-North Carolina area. The RTP JUG is being organized as a vendor-independent organization. The RTP JUG plans to move toward using digital telecommunications as a primary vehicle for group and inter-member communication. Initial tests providing audio or audiovisual content to the members' desktops are under discussion.
Currently, CinJUG is small and primarily comprised of people from the Cincinnati/Dayton area who are interested in being developers. Individuals use the meetings to absorb as much technical information as possible. On the average, the group receives one to two requests for membership each day. A few of CinJUG's area members are Sun Microsystems CEs who provide much of the up-to-date information and technical expertise needed to maintain the interests. Additionally, the group promotes evangelism through sharing code (applets), ideas, and technical support. CinJUG believes evangelism is the cornerstone to its success.
OJIG does not have a sponsor. At this point, meetings resemble tutorials more than anything else, but the group is working hard to get past that point. OJIG's philosophy is to grok Java and similar technologies.
P-JUG is a small group of programmers who are really excited about what Java means, not only for the WWW, but also as it applies to any client/server system. We are dedicated to learning all that we can about the language as it progresses through its development.
JavaMUG is small and open to everyone of any knowledge level. It is sponsored by the University of Texas at Dallas (http://www.utdallas.edu/), which hosts their Web page and provides meeting space.
The Austin Java Klatch was founded in November 1995. There is no formal membership procedure—just go to the meetings if you are interested. The group currently has around 45 people attending. Meetings are informal and designed to bring together people with an interest in Java. Much of the meetings are taken up with general gab sessions where people can discuss whatever Java-related topic is on their minds. Java Klatch also generally tries to have some sort of presentation for each meeting.
The SVJUG is in its start-up phase. It expects to be a medium-sized group with the goal of providing a forum for technical discussion about Java, Javascript, and VRML. Meetings are held every month and consist of a brief business meeting, one or two Java-based demos from the members, and a technical discussion period at the end. The group will try to keep the first part of every meeting at a level where managers, users, and students can come and learn about Java's capabilities without being bogged down with technical details. The SVJUG expects to provide on-line access to demos and briefing materials following each meeting through the SVJUG Web page.
This is a newly formed group; the first meeting was held in January 1996. It's open to people with all levels of interest in Java/JavaScript—for example, users of Java, Web page designers, beginning Java coders, and experienced Java coders.
Like the Internet, Java user groups cover the world over. With global Java development growing at the rate it is, it's likely that there are people interested in Java no matter where you live on the planet. Here are some of the users groups outside of the United States.
The UFPE Java Group is a small, academic group that was created in October 1995. It is led by Professor Silvio Meira and mostly composed of graduate and undergraduate students in the Department of Informatics in the Federal University of Pernambuco. The group's main objective is to explore the research and application possibilities of Java and the Web model in society. The members of this nonprofit group have created and taught two different introductory courses in Java to their undergraduate and graduate peers. Meetings occur on a demand basis depending on the Department of Informatics (their sponsor).
TorJUG is not that old, but it is old for a Java users' group. It is still an evolving entity. The group's sponsors are Sun Microsystems of Canada, Solect Technology Group, Imagine That!, and Rogers.
JaVan Group is new. Their philosophy is to provide up-to-date information, tutorial sessions, and discussion sessions for Java users.
Basically, IIJUG set out to be an organization like the rest of the users' groups, members and all, but with the burgeoning cyberculture, that seemed to be a rather narrow idea. The group is interested in dealing with people who have even a remote real interest in Java.
The group regularly interacts with the other Java developers and JUGs around the world to keep abreast of the latest happenings.
The group is just getting started. Its first meeting was March 7, 1996. The group is working closely with Sun Microsystems, Mexico, in three areas of technological innovation:
This users' group plans to bring together developers and researchers from all over the metro area in a joint effort to make a difference in the growth of Mexico's information systems.
UseNet newsgroups can be a great source of information. They can also be a major pain when people stop being helpful and start arguing about whatever they feel like arguing about. If you're familiar with UseNet and feel comfortable using it, these newsgroups are a valuable asset. If you're not familar with UseNet news, it's best to just observe for awhile, get a feel for the system, stay out of flame wars, and read the FAQ before starting to post.
With that said, there are currently two newsgroups on Java worth mentioning on UseNet:
The Northeast Parallel Architecture Server at Syracuse University tracks comp.lang.java, among other newsgroups. This is a handy way to get all of the comp.lang.java postings regarding garbage collection, for example.
In addition to the mailing list administered by Java-SIG and run by various smaller groups, a few lists are run out of Sun.
The address for the list is
You can subscribe to the list by sending the words subscribe java-interest in the body of your message to
All of the traffic on the Sun lists is gated to comp.lang.java, so there's no need to read both the mailing list and the newsgroup. For a more information about Sun's mailing lists, take a look at
Sun makes Java training available to its customers and the general public. The courses vary in length, cost, and quality. More information can be found at
Java-SIG holds classes on Java and other topics at its "SUG Lab" facilities in Boston, MA. The classes are small—limited to 12 students per session—and hands-on. Students are provided with their own workstation. For more information about SUGLabs, contact the Sun User Group at office@sug.org or call (617)232-0514.
Java is a popular language, and they are a lot of people doing their level best to see that it becomes a truly universal one by porting it to as many platforms as possible. The following listing tells where to connect with some of the porters.
Mattias Johansson (matj@o.lst.se) in Sweden runs Porting Java to Amiga, or P'Jami.
There are three e-mail lists:
is a closed list. Participants must be approved by the list administrator.
is an open mailing list for the exchange of information. To subscribe, send the words subscribe amiga-hotjava in the body of your message to
The last list is
which broadcasts announcements of Amiga ports. To subscribe, send the words subscribe amiga-hotjava-announce in the body of a message to
This section covers patches and information about a DEC Alpha port. The Web page is maintained by Greg Stiehl.
Web site:
E-mail:
Linux is the free, IBM-compatible version of UNIX. Karl Asha (karl@blackdown.org) maintains several resources for people who are interested in porting and using Java and HotJava with Linux.
The Web site is found at
There are two mailing lists for Linux issues: java-linux and java-linux-announce. The first is a discussion list, and the second is a broadcast list.
The address for the mailing list is
To subscribe to this list, send the word subscribe in the subject line of a message to
or
An anonymous FTP distribution of the Linux Java port is available from
Bill Bumgarner (bbum@friday.com) maintains an open mailing list for the discussion of porting and integration esoteria that are unique to the NeXT platform.
To subscribe, send the word subscribe in the body of a message to
The address to mail to the list is
| Previous Chapter | Next Chapter |
|Table of Contents | Book Home Page |
| Que Home Page | Digital Bookshelf | Disclaimer |
To order books from QUE, call us at 800-716-0044 or 317-361-5400.
For comments or technical support for our books and software, select Talk to Us.
© 1996, QUE Corporation, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing USA, a Simon and Schuster Company