Java - Getting started

Ciba

Ciba

Ciba

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Joined
1 Oct 2004
Posts
793
Location
Windsor
This year at Uni I will have to learn Java. Currently I have no experience in the language and want to get a bit of a headstart but I dont really know where to begin.

What do I need to download and can anybody recommend me any good tutorials or books that maybe of use?

Thanks.
 
You need JDK 5.0 Update 8 from this website,
http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp

Then I would say learn the basic syntax using a text editor with syntax highlighting such as vim. Once you understand the basics you can switch to using an IDE (such as eclipse) which will increase your productivity/make it easier to debug by far. www.eclipse.org

http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/

http://www.mindview.net/Books/TIJ/ <-- Thats slightly more advanced, you should work your way through the tutorials first.

One other thing, stay the hell away from blue-j :)
 
You'll need the Java Development Kit (JDK) from here: http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp

My advice would be to not bother with NetBeans or Eclipse or any other fancy IDE at first. Just write your code in a text editor like EditPlus, compile it with the javac command, and run it with the java command. You'll get a much better understanding of whats going on imo (classpaths etc).

I taught myself the basics of java with this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...-8592422?v=glance&n=266239&s=gateway&v=glance . Worked for me though there aren't that many exercises to do.
 
Lucky you, I really enjoyed learning Java at uni, such a good language :)

I went and got Java: The Beginners Guide from Waterstones this time last year and it was a great book to get started with ... although I soon stopped using it because my lecturer was teaching me different ways of doing things which counted towards tests, exams etc.

Learning from a book before the semester started though was definetly helpful as you already know the basics like how to tab, space, what a class is etc. etc.
 
Thanks for your advice and info. Have managed to get underway with some basic programs following the Java tutorials.
 
Remember that you are there to learn the principles and theories behind programming and in particular OO, and not the Java language (well, not primarily anyway.)

They may seem one and the same at first, but it becomes very apparent later in programming life. :)
 
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