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| Starting "Java" [Java tutorials / resources / faq] » Prologue « I guess this is one of the threads everyone here has been waiting for. There was a thread created sometime back but due to been diluted by off topic posts couldn't be made into a sticky. I would request the OP to post the same links here if possible. Please don't post "spam" or "Thank you" posts in this thread since this is meant to be used as a guide for all beginners and I am sure we would like it to be on topic. I hope you understand this. » Introduction to Java « To start off, Java is a general purpose programming language liked by application developers and web developers alike. It is the force which drives a large number of enterprise applications out there. Read more about it here. And yes, just for the records, Java is not slow!! [1, 2, 3] ;-) » Getting started « All you require to develop Java application is a text editor and a JDK which encompasses a Java compiler, a Java interpreter and a host of tools which ease your development. » Java 1.4 downloadAfter installing the JDK, you might want to take a look at the common problems beginners face when setting up Java and their solutions. New to java center is a good section for absolute beginners. As a beginner, you should know the commonly used JDK development tools like javac, java, jar, javadoc to name a few. Read about them here. Though not recommended for beginners, there are a lot of IDE (Integrated Development Environments) out there which greatly reduce the development time and abstract away all the complexities faced. A few free and commercial ones are: » Netbeans IDE [open source]» Build Tools « Though compiling Java programs using the javac tool may seem fine enough now, it has it's limitations. Compiling, building and archiving an entire application becomes quite tedious. Build tools to the rescue. It's a good thing to have the knowledge of at least one of the build tools under your belt if you want to work with Java in a professional setting. There are a lot of open source build tools out there, Ant and Maven being well known among them. Which build system to use is a personal / project choice though Ant is a good one for beginners. For those who are conversant with Ruby, you might find Raven interesting. Google for 'ant tutorial' and you will surely find something to get you started (that is if you are using Ant). » Unit Testing « It's a good thing to get into the habit of unit testing your code. Test cases have a host of advantages over your normal print statements placed throughout your program. Testing helps you in focus on the way your Java object is actually used / the part it plays in the system, thereby improving class design. And above all, its fun. :-) Get the unit testing framework JUnit here. Google for 'junit tutorial' and you will surely find something to get you started. » Links « Now for some tutorial links: » Java tutorials (beginners start here!)Some free online books / pdf's: » Introduction to Programming Using Java, Fifth EditionIn case you need to buy a book, consider the ones enlisted below. They are a gem. » Head First Java [beginner]Must visit sites for all Java programmers: » JavaWorldIf you are one of those people who are interested in reading blogs, I would recommend Reddit, DZone, JRoller and many others. » Frequently Asked Questions « » How can I convert a java program to an executable?Just google for 'java faq' and you surely would stumple upon a gold mine of well written FAQ's. » Certifications « After getting a good grasp of the subject, you might want to get a good certification to add a feather to your cap. You can find more about Java certification here. Google for 'scjp notes', 'java mock test' or 'scjp mock' to get started. Getting a certification or not is a choice you have to make. » Of programming and hackers « The learning process remains incomplete unless we play around with the language, learn to understand others code and implement some sample projects. For those want to learn Java *really* fast, Teach yourself programming in ten years would be a good read. Some other inspirational reads are 'How to become a hacker', Great Hackers and other Paul Graham essays. One of our community members, Black Box, has written a nice post targeted at beginners, which enlists what it takes to learn a language. That being said, you can find a lot of open source Java projects on Java source. Play with them to your fullest, try to see how things are done in the real world and walk the path of a hacker! ;-) » Game Development « And yes, now you can use Java for professional game development for the PC platform. The Java Monkey Engine makes this possible with advanced features like shaders, cloth simulation, bump mapping, inbuilt sound and user interface support and much much more. You can learn more about it on the JMonkey Home page. » Epilogue « After all this, if you still find yourself struggling with some issue, make sure you read this thread and this essay before creating a new topic in the Java forums. It has taken a lot of effort to come up with these links so that you don't waste your time searching for some study material / reference text. Appreciation goes out to Stephen, Ezzaral , Peter , Alok and others for their suggestions and corrections. So, just go for it, learn, contribute to this thread and above all, enjoy programming! Java FTW. :-) |
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| Re: Starting "Java" [Java tutorials / resources / faq] One more very handy site for code snippet examples on many things: Java Examples from The Java Developers Almanac 1.4 |
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| Re: Starting "Java" [Java tutorials / resources / faq] Everyone working with Java should take the time to read the Java coding conventions published by Sun: http://java.sun.com/docs/codeconv/ht...nvTOC.doc.html Coding to the common conventions will ensure a consistency that greatly aids both the coder and others reading that code. Anyone designing programs that involve more than one or two classes could benefit from familiarizing themselves with design patterns. An excellent introduction to this is Head First Design Patterns. Design patterns may or may not be appropriate for a given application, but learning about them and their usage will teach you to look at your program organization in a more critical manner from perspectives that you may not have considered at the outset. |
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| Re: Starting "Java" [Java tutorials / resources / faq] I would like to recomend the the books Core Java Volume 1 and 2 . A really good set of books that covers the most areas you'll need. |
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| Re: Starting "Java" [Java tutorials / resources / faq] A sample chapter on Data Structures in Java from the book Java concepts for Java 5 and 6. A good and thorough read. |
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| Re: Starting "Java" [Java tutorials / resources / faq] JDBC tutorial that can help to start |
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| Re: Starting "Java" [Java tutorials / resources / faq] following are few of the useful java tutorial websites: http://www.javacoffeebreak.com/tutorials/index.html http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/ http://www.tutorialized.com/tutorials/Java/1 and there are plenty more on google .. |
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| Re: Starting "Java" [Java tutorials / resources / faq] the art of java, core java and some books from osborne.com and horstmann.com are always good for me. They are useful. |
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| Re: Starting "Java" [Java tutorials / resources / faq] A document describing the common compile time / runtime errors and ways to resolve them; beginners might find it to be useful. |
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| Re: Starting "Java" [Java tutorials / resources / faq] Could I recommend both Notepad++ and JGRASP as lightweight beginner IDEs? I like them a lot when writing individual java files and I don't feel like waiting for Netbeans to come up. They both have the basics, such as Indentation Guides, but JGRASP is more focused on Java, while Notepad++ is highly configurable (such as add-ons, custom highlighting, and code-completion). Just my two cents to help everyone. |
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