Chapter 1. Digital Java EE 7

Digital adaptation is a sign of the times for the software developers who are involved with contemporary web design. The phrase Digital Transformation is yet another buzzword pandered around by business executives. Enterprise Java developers do not have to be afraid of this new digital world, because we are involved in building the most exciting software on this planet. We are building software for users, customers, and people. Replace the word Digital with User Experience and you will instantly get what all the fuss is about.

So let's remove the marketing terms once and for all. Digital transformation takes a non-online business process and produces the equivalent online version. Of course, a ponderous ugly caterpillar does not suddenly morph into a beautiful Red Admiral butterfly overnight, without life experience and genetics. It takes the considerable skills of developers, designers, and architects to adapt, transform, and apply the business requirements to technology. In recent times, the software profession has recognized the validity of users and their experiences. Essentially, we have matured.

This book is about developers who can mature and want to mature. These are the developers who can embrace Java technologies and are sympathetic to the relevant web technologies.

In this chapter, we will start our developer's journey with the requirements of the web developer, engineers at the so-called front-end, and the digital and creative industry. We will survey the enterprise Java platform and ask the question, where does Java fit in? We will look at the growth of JavaScript. We will learn about the Java EE 7 modern web architecture. To conclude, we will finish with a simple JavaServer Faces example.