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I'm planning to study Java EE but I do not know where to start.

Based on Java EE version history there are technologies present in lower versions which are not available in the higher version. Do I need to learn J2EE 1.4 before learning Java EE 5 or 6? Or is it better to learn the latest version since their purpose of doing it is to improve the previous version.

Can you also suggest some resources on Java EE?

Arjan Tijms
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Frank Smith
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3 Answers3

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Unless there is a direct need to work on a legacy system, it is perfectly fine to start with the newest version of the Java EE standard.

For starters I'd recommend free tutorials by Marty Hall, especially Configuring & Using Apache Tomcat to get you up and running.

There is also an official Java EE beginners tutorial, The Java EE 7 Tutorial. It is decently written and contains a lot of examples. By the end of it, you should have a pretty good idea where to go next.

metakermit
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Saul
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  • Any good book ? Suggest please. – partho May 14 '16 at 10:05
  • @Saul I found out when surfing through the internet that Oracle does not support `Java EE` any more. Is it true? if it is true will it be waste of time for me to start learning `Java EE` from above links. I really likes `Java` a lot and I have learned `Java SE` well. So what should I do? – Kasun Siyambalapitiya Aug 11 '16 at 12:38
  • @KasunSiyambalapitiya - Java EE is not an implementation but a **standard**, so in that sense your question is a bit misguided. I suggest you try and look up a few different **implementations** of Java EE, and base your conclusions on those. Where will the Java EE industry be going within the next 10 or 15 years in general, I have no idea. – Saul Aug 11 '16 at 14:32
  • @Saul what you said is correct, I'm in huge confusion of which to study, is it `JSP` or `servlets`( are there the ones you mentioned as implementation of `java EE`). Can you be kind enough to provide me with links to few different implementation of `java EE`. so that I can solve my mess myself – Kasun Siyambalapitiya Aug 11 '16 at 17:00
  • @KasunSiyambalapitiya Straight from the horse's mouth http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javaee/overview/compatibility-jsp-136984.html – Saul Aug 12 '16 at 08:53
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As Saul explained, unless you need to work on a legacy system, there is not a single reason to learn an older version of Java EE.

Every version of Java EE is a fully contained platform and doesn't require learning or knowing anything about the previous versions.

In case of 1.4, it's even better to avoid it at all cost. It contains several technologies (mainly EJB 2), that are the embodiment of bad practices. Looking at those will serve no other purpose than to cloud your mind. If possible, stay away from it.

Java EE 6 is a radical departure from the way applications were build in 1.4, and is the recommended version to start working with.

Arjan Tijms
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  • I found out when surfing through the internet that Oracle does not support Java EE any more. Is it true? if it is true will it be waste of time for me to start learning Java EE from above links. I really likes Java a lot and I have learned Java SE well. So what should I do? – Kasun Siyambalapitiya Aug 11 '16 at 12:38
  • @KasunSiyambalapitiya things are not that simple. To this day Oracle has not announced that they do not support Java EE anymore. Until not so long ago they simply said nothing. Latest news is that something will be announced at JavaOne, but what that is is not yet known. The little that has been said lately talks about some cloud reboot and working with key partners on that. – Arjan Tijms Aug 11 '16 at 17:50
  • I very new to Java EE. Now I am following a tutorial on [JSP](http://www.javatpoint.com/jsp-tutorial). Is it a good start. Can you please guide me a good way to learn Java EE from scratch. I know Java SE well – Kasun Siyambalapitiya Aug 12 '16 at 01:32
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Oracle Java EE Tutorial is the best for beginner. In Java EE scope. there are many frameworks,such as JSP,JSF,Servlet,Spring,Struts and so on.First you should try to focus which framework is more suitable for you and then try to learn it first.

In my opinion, you need to learn J2EE 1.4 before learning Java EE 5 or 6 is good because sometimes we may face to maintain legacy Java EE systems. But you have no need to maintain legacy systems then you should learn Java EE 6 first.

Sai Ye Yan Naing Aye
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    "You need to learn J2EE 1.4 before learning Java EE 5 or 6 is good but you should learn Java EE 6 first."? this doesn't even make sense. As other answers say, you should *stay away* from J2EE 1.4 as much as possible. – eis May 30 '14 at 06:39