This User Guide is written for active web developers and assumes a working knowledge about how Java web applications are built. Before getting started, you should understand the basics of several core technologies: l HTTP, HTML, and User Agents l The HTTP Request/Response Cycle l The Java Language and Application Frameworks l JavaBeans l Properties Files and ResourceBundles l Java Servlets l JavaServer Pages and JSP Tag Libraries l Extensible Markup Language This chapter briefly defines each of these technologies but does not describe them in detail. For your convenience, links to further information are provided if you would like to learn more about a technology.