Hey guys I want to learn java programing, however I have no idea where to start. I would love to have any suggestions on books or websites that offer help. Also what excatly can java be used for? Are there other languages that are more useful than java? Is java programing different on mac then windows, as I have said I have very little idea of what I am talking about as this is all new to me. Anyhelp is really great.
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Wannabe Programer. Need help choosing correct books and helpful stuff.
- Thread starter whw5
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Are you taking or have you taken programming classes? What programming, if any, have you already learned to do? Knowing your starting point would help us suggest how to get to the next step with Java.
In my case, I was already a C programmer when learning Java, so Bruce Eckel's Thinking in Java was appropriate. I got it in print, though. I can only asorb so much reading online. When I'm serious about learning something technical, having a book helps me.
In my case, I was already a C programmer when learning Java, so Bruce Eckel's Thinking in Java was appropriate. I got it in print, though. I can only asorb so much reading online. When I'm serious about learning something technical, having a book helps me.
whw5 said:
the java tutorial on java.sun.com is a good place to start; it's pretty clear and well-written. java is designed to be a language for programming applications, as opposed to device drivers, operating systems, etc. it's pretty general-purpose though. there are a zillion things that could be said about what language to start learning first, but IMO the short answer is that since you don't have really specific needs yet, java is as good a place to start as any. if you'd said "i need to do scientific computing" or "i need to build a database" the answer would probably be different. anyway, java is a nice, practical language.
jave programming on most systems is pretty similar; the virtual machine handles a lot of the differences for you. the development environment and installing everything can vary quite a bit, but your actual code will generally be similar or identical for most platforms.
I have a book called Java How to program, by Dietel and Dietel.
Its a very detailed and well explained book. Also as the poster above me pointed out, sun's tutorials are also pretty good. But still I feel it helps to have a book in addition to online tutorials.
cheers
Its a very detailed and well explained book. Also as the poster above me pointed out, sun's tutorials are also pretty good. But still I feel it helps to have a book in addition to online tutorials.
cheers
The best thing I did was to take a C++ class at my local community college.. but Phoenix has the best CC's in the country so maybe that's not a good option for you.
It got me past the boring parts and introduced me to all concepts that I've ever used (aside from a few I learned in java)
It got me past the boring parts and introduced me to all concepts that I've ever used (aside from a few I learned in java)