Interview: David Salter, Author of Seam 2.x Web Development

David Salter is an enterprise software architect who has been developing software professionally since 1991. His relationship with Java goes right back to the beginning, using Java 1.0 for writing desktop applications and applets for interactive web sites. David has been developing Enterprise Java Applications using both the J2EE standards and open source solutions since 2001.

He authored following books recently published by Packt:

Seam 2.x Web Development

Building SOA-Based Composite Applications Using NetBeans IDE 6

David blogs at:http://www.davidsalter.co.uk

Packt: How did you find the overall experience of writing your book for Packt?
DS: I enjoyed the experience immensely. At times it was hard going, but overall it was an enjoyable experience that I hope to repeat. At the beginning, the whole process seemed rather daunting, but once I started writing everything fell into place.

Packt: During the writing process, did you come across any issues/ difficulties that affected your writing and how did you overcome these?
DS: During the writing period several different version of JBoss and Seam were released. This meant that I started the book with one version of the software and ended with another. I always wanted the book to be based upon the latest versions so spent time towards the end of the writing process making sure that everything was up to date with the latest software.

Packt: Whilst writing your book, did you find that it overshadowed personal life in any way? How did you deal with this?
DS: I tried to keep to my schedule so that there was minimal impact on my personal life. I tried to work on evenings only and always leave weekends free for family life.

Packt: Was there anything interesting that happened during the writing of the book?
DS: Well although I loved writing this book, I must confess that the most significant event that occurred during this time was the birth of our son Oscar! Perhaps I can get him interested in Seam and Java development, just as soon as he can hit a keyboard.

Packt: How did our Acquisition Editors help you - what kind of things did they help you with and how did they support you throughout the writing process?
DS: My acquisition editor was fantastic. She helped me to develop solid details of my book and helped me organize the chapters into the correct order that was best for the book and its readers. She provided encouragement throughout the writing process and didn’t complain if a deadline had to be put back!

Packt: Our authors usually have full-time jobs whilst writing for us. Was this the case for you and how did you approach managing your time?
DS: Yes. I have a full time job, but kept this completely separate from my writing.

Packt: What benefits did writing a book bring to your specialist area?
DS: I think writing a book gives you a different point of view on a subject. You have to question what you know and think about the best way of relating the information to others.

Packt: Do you have any tips for other authors, or tricks that you learnt whilst writing, that you'd like to share?
DS: Get a good plan at the beginning and stick to it! Writing a book can be a very enjoyable experience but you’ve got to have a detailed plan on what’s going into each chapter and how they all relate to each other.

Packt: Do you have any advice for other authors who may be interested in writing for Packt, but are still unsure?
DS: If you’ve got a good idea for a book, speak to one of the acquisition editors at Packt and sell your idea. If you’ve a passion for your subject you’ll succeed.

Packt: What projects, if any, are you working on at the moment?
DS: Furthering my knowledge of JBoss and Seam and looking forward to Seam 3 and JSR-299.