The book gives you an in-depth tour of XHTML (the XML-based version of HTML) from top to bottom so that you will know what Web content to build on the server. Early chapters go over what's special about XHTML with a full element reference. (Generally speaking, XHTML resembles HTML fairly closely but follows some new conventions.) Using plenty of screen shots, all the basics of Web content designed with XHTML are effectively covered, including how to use image maps, frames, cascading style sheets, and JavaScript. Some particularly good sections lay out the differences between today's browsers (including the different object models and support for DHTML on Netscape and Microsoft browser platforms).

Despite the title of this book (obviously designed to catch the eye of Java readers), it also covers server-side development using CGI (in C), Microsoft ASP, ColdFusion, and PHP. Its cross-language perspective makes this a good choice for anyone evaluating options for server-side development. It also will help readers who are transitioning between technologies. For instance, three short chapters on Allaire ColdFusion will help anyone understand this powerful programming tool quickly.

The book closes with programming done with Java, from client-side applets with AWT and Swing, to server-side development using servlets and JSPs. Final sections show how to combine Java and XML (fulfilling the promise of the title.)

With a wide-ranging tour of at a least a dozen key Web standards and technologies, this text accomplishes a lot more than its title suggests. Written with a clear and patient style and bolstered by plenty of screen shots for the beginner, it'll prove to be a useful resource for almost anyone who does server-side Web development and wants to get a handle on the quickly moving standards surrounding XML, XHTML, and today's newer browsers. --Richard Dragan