"Because Class.getResource() eventually delegates to ClassLoader.getResource(), the two methods are indeed very similar. However, the first method is often preferable. It provides a nice extra feature: it looks up package-local resources. As an example, this code snippet"
"Pooling resources (also called object pooling) among multiple clients is a technique used to promote object reuse and to reduce the overhead of creating new resources, resulting in better performance and throughput. Imagine a heavy-duty Java server application that sends hundreds of SQL queries by opening and closing connections for every SQL request. Or a Web server that serves hundreds of HTTP requests, handling each request by spawning a separate thread. Or imagine creating an XML parser instance for every request to parse a document without reusing the instances. These are some of the scenarios that warrant optimization of the resources being used."
"During the past few of years, Web content syndication technology has grown in importance both on the Internet and behind the firewall. In July of 2005, the Internet Engineering Task Force's (IETF) Atom Publishing Format and Protocol Working Group (known simply as "atompub") published the first of two standards specifications intended to provide "a feed format for representing and a protocol for editing Web resources such as Weblogs, online journals, Wikis, and similar content." The Atom Syndication Format, or Atom 1.0 as it is known commonly, has since been deployed to millions of Web sites and is supported by every major syndication platform on the market. Today, just over a year later, work nears completion on the second of the two specifications: The Atom Publishing Protocol."
"As a speaker, blogger, consultant, and mentor, I am frequently asked by junior and intermediate programmers working in the Java space for resources to help them master this wide, complex, seemingly endless world. A few years ago, I took a stab at answering the question by posting a Recommended Reading List, but recently the Java editor at developerWorks asked me to put together a broader list of resources, not focused exclusively on books ? a good idea considering that the list had grown to a point where a prospective consumer could easily spend the next decade reading them and still not make a dent in the contents."
"As developers, you're constantly being asked to respond to change with both flexibility and speed, and often with nothing more than a vague set of goals. While there is no absence of discussion on the topic, it's rare that a combination of concepts, tools, and resources is offered to help developers overcome these challenges. IBM recognizes these challenges and has developed a conceptual methodology for delivering software solutions around a concept called On Demand Business."
