First and foremost, the good people at Sams Publishing deserve many thanks for making this book possible. In particular, acquisitions editor Steve Straiger is especially deserving of gratitude for his generous flexibility with the development schedule.
I would also like to acknowledge my personal friend and colleague, Michael Jones, who encouraged me to rise to the challenge of writing this book. Also worthy of recognition are my other colleagues at Hughes Information Technology Systems, who were gracious enough to tolerate my highly nontraditional work schedule (especially around deadline time).
Additionally, the folks at Visigenic Software deserve credit for making excellent software and for making this software available for usable evaluation periods.
Finally, an honorable mention goes to Stonehenge Internet and to GTE Internet for their faithful, reliable delivery of Internet service--which is indispensable for writing a book in this Information Age.
Born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, Jeremy Rosenberger received his Bachelor's degree in computer science and engineering from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Since then, Jeremy has lived in Boston and St. Louis, and at present resides in Denver with his wife, Camilla.
Jeremy currently works as a software engineer for Hughes Information Systems in Aurora, Colorado, where he develops applications by using a variety of tools such as C++, CORBA, Java, and software agent technologies. He is a contributing author to Javology (http://www.javology.com/) and has written two chapters of Special Edition Using JavaBeans (Que/Ziff-Davis Press, 1997), covering the use of Java with CORBA, as well as a preview of the Java Platform for the Enterprise. He also aspires to form a consulting firm catering to clients in the Denver area.
When he isn't working at developing software or writing his latest and greatest book, Jeremy can usually be found spending time with his wife, building scale model cars, composing and playing music, or playing volleyball. Occasionally, he can be found engaging in outdoor activities in the high altitudes of the Rocky Mountains.
Although Jeremy is a man of many email addresses, he can always be reached at jlr4@cornell.edu.
Welcome to Sams' Teach Yourself CORBA in 14 Days! This book explores the development of distributed applications using the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA). In two weeks, it introduces you to the fundamental concepts of CORBA, walks you through the development of a simple CORBA application, and then starts you developing a more complex application. You'll learn about CORBA's Interface Definition Language (IDL) and how to use it to describe interfaces between application components. You'll also be introduced to the Object Management Group, the organization responsible for developing the Object Management Architecture, a specification in which CORBA plays one part. Additionally, you'll learn about the CORBA architecture and related components of the Object Management Architecture--such as CORBAservices and CORBAfacilities--and see how these building blocks are used to develop distributed enterprise applications. You'll gain familiarity with writing CORBA applications in both C++ and Java, the two preeminent languages for CORBA development.
In addition to the 14 Lessons, two Appendixes introduce you to many of the CORBA development tools available, and give you an overview of what the future holds for CORBA. Although CORBA can sometimes move at the speed of a standard defined by a committee (not surprising, given the process used by the OMG to adopt new standards), CORBA continues to make strides that ensure its place at the forefront of distributed application development.
You'll get the most out of this book if you have the following:
The best way to learn any new subject is to practice and experiment. To follow the examples presented in each chapter, as well as each quiz and exercise, you need access to the following:
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