The last months I have tried to get started with web developing using Java. I have been trying the Java EE 6 API and I also have been trying Spring. However, I still do not seem to grasp many of the concepts nor do I manage to set up the projects correctly because I find it pretty hard. Could somebody give me some book recommendations and also in which order it would be smart to start in?
I read that question, but it is relatively old and I wonder if the answer still applies? Would you start learning Spring and Hibernate or Java EE 6 if you started today?
Remeber J2EE v1.4? Was complex, cumbersome and verbose (but a standard and supported by all major Web Containers). In that context Spring emerges, as an alternative to build Enterprise Applications in an easy and elegant way.
It’s been a long time since then, Java EE has learned from its mistakes and now the standard has adopted several of the features that made Spring great. By now, everything you can do with Spring+friends you can do with Java EE and standard technologies.
So it’s just a matter of taste. Personally, I suffered a trauma with J2EE 1.4 and I’m a big Spring fan: I love it flexibility and the way it interacts with almost every technology/framework in the market. But I saw some Java EE 6 applications also, and they are far less creepy than their ancestors (and again, supported natively for all Application Servers).