Occasionally, I'd like to share a blog I've discovered or that someone has passed along to me. Criteria are few, but in a nutshell, it must be:

1. Java-related. (Doh!)
2. Interesting. A good blog is exciting to read at some level, whether due to perspective, eye-catching writing, or technical insight. It doesn't have to read like a Stephen King novel, but it should grab you somehow.
3. Technically deep or technically broad. A site that dives deeply, quickly is a great reference for particular topics/tasks. On the other hand, one that covers a lot of ground at a high-but-still-technical level can be a handy site to visit occasionally as well. Both are what I consider "bookmarkable", but for different reasons.

Drumroll, please...

With that in mind, this Blog Spotlight is cast upon mkyong.com, a site I stumbled across that offers a little bit of everything for various Java dev audiences. The title indicates the site is for "Java web development tutorials", and indeed it does have these: JSF, Spring, Struts, Hibernate, JAX-WS, JAX-RS, and numerous other topics are addressed to varying degrees.

The site isn't devoted exclusively to server-side tutorials, though. Recent posts include mobile development topics, and the links at the bottom of the page connect you to reference pages and other useful sites.

I've poked around through a couple of the tutorials and, while they won't take you from "zero to hero", they do seem to provide a nice overview of the subject at hand. They also offer an occasional explanatory comment that is missing from far too many texts, sites, and doc pages. It's not a perfect site, but I like it.

The Bottom Line

mkyong.com offers a nice "summary site" of server-side tutorials, mobile dev posts, and reference links. Check it out!

All the best,
Mark