Appendix A. Seam starter set
This appendix explores the set of libraries and tools you need to develop with Seam. Seam consists of just a handful of JAR files, listed in section A.2.1. Once these libraries are added to your application’s classpath, they open the door to a wealth of integrations and a consistent programming model. To get started with Seam, you can create a new project using seam-gen (see chapter 2), adopt an example application from the Seam distribution, or add the Seam libraries to an existing project by mining the JAR files from the Seam distribution or registering the Seam modules as Maven 2 or Ivy dependencies.
Given that Seam is often described as an “integration framework,” you’d expect it to rely on a wide variety of external libraries. While that’s true, it’s nothing to get worried about. Both the Seam distribution and the Maven 2 configuration provided by Seam include compatible libraries that are verified to work with a given Seam version. Thus, Seam truly lives up to its title as an integration framework, both at the API and distribution levels.
Before swinging away, you need to check the prerequisites for using Seam and the seam-gen tool, which extend beyond just extracting the Seam distribution on your hard drive.