I need to learn Java

[Nachohat]

I'm a pretty good C++ programmer and I would like to learn Java. These two languages are very similar and I don't have to learn everything from scratch. Are there any good sites with tutorials where I could learn Java reasonably fast?

I found this so far : http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/

But I would prefer something that really assumes that you allready know how to program. I don't want to have to skim through all the basics to find something new for me.

To all the programers out there, how did you learn Java?

[mpconnick]

I've been programming in Java almost exclusively since late 1995, when the 1.0 JDK was still a beta if I remember correctly. Before that, I programmed mainly in C and during a brief dark period in my life, Visual Basic. Since I started in Java during the early days, there weren't nearly as many resources available as there now are. Some suggestions:

- Get a copy of JBuilder, but make sure you have plenty of RAM. It's a pure Java application and can be memory intensive.
- Grab copies of the Java In A Nutshell series from O'Reilly. These are great quick references to the APIs. I'd start by getting Java In A Nutshell, Java Foundation Classes In A Nutshell, and Java Examples In A Nutshell. The first one mentioned contains a very brief tutorial/comparison that is targeted at existing programmers who are learning Java. These a good references to keep nearby no longer how long you've been programming in Java.
- Consider grabbing the book Effective Java Programming Language Guide. Its essentially a series of good practices to put into use, and is a nice book for both new and experienced Java programmers.
- Visit sites like JavaWorld.com.
- Sign up for Sun's Java Developer Connection and their weekly Java e-mail. Start at http://developer.java.sun.com. You'll find loads of tips and articles here.
- Investigate some of the Java publications such as Java Pro, Java Report, and Java Developers Journal. Java Pro seems to include more complete examples.
- Explore the Java newsgroups. If I remember correctly, they are in the hierarchy comp.lang.java.*
- Check out the website www.gamelan.com.
- If you plan to develop Java applications that will be deployed on the Macintosh, check out the Java developer mailing list available from Apple. Here you can find answers to platform specific issues.

These suggestions should, through exploration, get you on a good track and help you to find additional resources. Hope you find them helpful.

- Mike Connick

[Nachohat]

Wow Mike!! Thank you very much for the very lengthy post! Learning all this will take me years.

I'm still a student though so I'm just doing this as a hobie. And I have many hobies at that. I have gotten the Java in a Nutshell book at a second hand book store and it's pretty good. It will get me started that's for sure.

I love Java, but I don't quite see the advantage of using it over C++ in OS X. Yes, it is very cross platform but damn the load times are slow. In a few words, what are the main advantages of using Java over C++ in a single platform product?

I have so much to learn it's unbeleavable. School is just the tip of the iceberg.

[mpconnick]

School is certainly just the tip of the iceberg, especially in an ever-changing industry. You can never stop learning as a software developer. Java was at most a twinkle in James Goslings' eye when I was in college 10 years ago (boy, time flies), look how quickly it's become one of the dominant development languages.

Regarding advantages of Java over C++ for a single platform (like OS X), that's not the real question to think about (and don't let anyone try to convince you otherwise). Don't ask what language is best for what OS. Ask, of the languages available to me, which is best to achieve the task I am presented with. Java and C++ each have their advantages for specific tasks. Without knowing a specific task, it's nearly impossible to recommend a language or other tool.

For me, Java is important for the cross-platform capabilities. My company develops educational software, and our products must run on Macs and PCs. Java allows our very small team to deliver high-quality products for both platforms very quickly. That makes it the best language for our tasks. Since I'm a Java enthusiast, I'm glad to be able to use it.

Although I have noticed that Java seems somewhat sluggish in OS X right now, I expect the performance to increase substantially. Apple has a lot on their plate right now, and I have confidence the performance of Java in OS X will improve.

Take care,
Mike

[HECTORdaBIZATCH]

Yah, I read that java performance will be improved in 10.1.

I'm a college student, and I'm just starting to learn Java too... my computer science class is great but it's moving really slow... some of this info (maybe some books n' stuff) will help me go at a faster pace. Thanks.

...Here's a question... what would some of you recommend for software to start doing Java on my Mac? (Right now I'm doing everything on PCs in a lab... :-P)

...the only package that I know of is Codewarrior. Is it good? Are there any other good ones?

Thanks!

[knighthawk]

Project Builder supports Java... at least in Cocoa. Check the developer tools for more information about Java developing. There is also a MRJAppBuilder application in the developer applications folder.

[Nachohat]

I'm in computer engineering and I'm specialising in hardware but I'm realising now how much I love to code. At least you can learn software on you own, don't even think about doing that for hardware though.

I use Codewarrior myself. I find project builder is just too damn slow for the moment although I haven't gotten the chance to get the latest version, I will when 10.1 comes out.

Mike, do you own a software company? I would sure like to start one after I get a bit of experience in the area. Right now I'm on my coop work term and it's a great break from studying. It's a completely different world out there.

[AdmiralAK]

I love java
Learnt it 2 years ago I am doing prorammin in ANSI C now ... damn computer science department lol

Java is really easy to learn and no idtioc stuff like C where you have to alot x amount of memory for stuff like arrays and do garbage removal manually. java rocks!