Java and JEE

Overview

JEE (Java Enterprise Edition) and JSE (Java Standard Edition) are platforms that enable developers to write java applications which can be deployed to and run from servers.

JEE is the big brother to JSE, they are very similar but JEE goes further by providing extra libraries and tools that enable developers to build more robust modular, multi-tier, distributed and fault-tolerant applications.

The original JEE specification was developed by Sun Microsystems who released the 1.2 SDK (Software Development Kit) in December 1999. The latest Version Java EE6 is scheduled for release in May, 2009.

Typical Applications

JEE is a real powerhouse and is used by a range of comapnies and organizations that have very demanding and broad requirements. It is associated with large, distributed, highly available and secure systems. JEE was also designed with SOA (Service Orientated Architecture) in mind and as such is a popular choice with financial institutions such as banks and large accounting back-ends.

Frameworks

Here is a list of some of the major frameworks and 3rd party technologies that have been developed to help speed up the creation of more reliable and maintainable applications.

Apache Struts
Spring Framework
Hibernate
iBatis

Server Technology

So, what do you need to run a JEE application? First off you will need a server, Java is platform independant so any OS will do, although we would recomend unix/linux based operating systems. Next you need to choose an AS or application server. This is a piece of software that runs on your server in which you will deploy your application. Some are free others are not. The choice of AS depends largely on what services you intend to provide, what database technology you have and what kind of support you require. For most applications Redhat's JBOSS is more than adequate. Here is a list of some others.

WebLogic Server - BEA
WebSphere - IBM
Tomcat, Geronimo - Apache Software Foundation
GlassFish - Sun