Is anyone actually using ...: Despite the economy, we still live in a boom time for new standards and APIs. While you try to keep up with the latest thing, it would be nice to figure out what is real and what isn't. » Read more

Is anyone actually using XML Encryption and XML Signature?: I just finished tech. reviewing a couple of articles on XML Signatures and Encryption, and it struck me that these were REALLY esoteric sounding things. So is anyone actually using this stuff? — Brett McLaughlin

Things change, but remain the same: Daniel moves from Verizon to Texas Instruments, but there is still a lot of JXTA and P2P. — Daniel Brookshier

Master the basics of Java Cryptography Exception
The Builder.com article Master the basics of Java Cryptography Exception gives you a quick look at installing and using JCE. After installing you'll find a code listing of how to "Initialize a KeyGenerator and generate a key", generate a cipher, and how to encrypt and decrypt data. "Encryption works at the byte level, so almost anything can be encrypted."

Enterprise Tech TIps on EJB QL
In the latest Issue of the Enterprise Java Technologies Technical Tips Mark Johnson provides two Enterprise JavaBeans Query Language (EJB QL) tips. Mark stresses that "Understanding the data model of your application's enterprise beans is crucial to writing effective EJB QL queries." In the first tip he presents the underlying data model for the examples and then provides examples of queries against that data. In the second tip, he focuses on the use of EJB SELECT methods.