Java, where to start...

[DrJohnZoidberg]

Hi All,

I am very interested in pursuing a direction in programming and would like to focus on Java. I have a basic understanding of programming and would like to know what courses I can take for Java.

Where would you recommend me to start? I haven't really done much programming since high school (Turbo Pascal urgggh) and I designed a site in PHP about a year ago - but thats about it.

Would it be vital for me to first go back to the fundamentals or is there a Java course I could jump right in to?

Your help would be most valuable

Thanks in advance.

 

[MagicDude4Eva]

get Bruce Eckel's book and use it as your bible - pretty much teaches you the language basics. then you need to decide what track you pursue - front-end or integration type work. the latter is easier if you lack the creative gene.

if you want to do this as a career it will be difficult to get started as all jobs require not just the programming skill but also understanding of middleware (i.e. Tomcat/JBoss vs. WebLogic/WebSphere) and obviously integration skills (how to talk to a database, JMS etc).

In my opinion - get cracking on above book and combine it with some fundamentals courses.

 

[dequadin]

IMO the best way to learn any type of programming can be solved by the simple equation:

(Get a good IDE) + (Pick a pet project to develop) + (Cripple Google) + (Seek answers to specific problems with pet project on online forums) = Success

Supplement the above with a couple of good books and you're away. The most important factor is to get going with a pet project. Writing Hello World! examples in books isn't enough....

Maybe some Java dudes can recommend a good IDE? NetBeans/Eclipse/?

 

[grayston]

Netbeans is good for beginners, but Eclipse has the most support, the most plugins and the widest userbase. Plus, if you ever get into professional Java programming, chances are the dev house will be using Eclipse (or a variant of it).

Bruce Eckel's book FTW, by the way, but first work through the tutorials on the Sun Java site.