Thread: Learning Java ~ What are the best choices of tools ?

I intend to learn java and I know programming with C++.

Please suggest me the following:

1. Book:

i'm currently using Java for Dummies, since i'm a complete newbie to java. Is it fine or is there any better.

2. Specialisation :
There are many versions of Java like SE,EE, Netbeans etc. Which one should I learn first ?

3. IDE

Is it good to use IDE or should I play with cmd ? If yes for IDE, which one is best ?

I see that there are Eclipse,Jcreator,Netbeans ,Jbuilder IDE, so confused.

Books

I have never heard of this book. It had got 1.5 of 5.0 rating in the amazon.
First decide what you want to do? If you want to become a programmer use books for programming. This book I don't think deal with that.You will have to appeared in the SCJP( Sun Certified Java Programmer) you can choose from:-

- Sun Certified Java Developer (SCJD)
- Sun Certified Web Component Developer (SCWCD)
- Sun Certified Business Component Developer (SCBCD)
- Sun Certified Developer For Java Web Services (SCDJWS)
- Sun Certified Mobile Application Developer (SCMAD)
- Sun Certified Enterprise Architect (SCEA)) .

Books for learning Java
Head First Java
Kathy Sierra & Bert Bates ( I am using this , this book is quite interesting & you will read it until you have finished it )

Effective Java
Joshua Bloch( I don't need to introduce this author, just search him)

If you want to seriously become a programmer & give SCJP :-


SCJP Sun Certified Programmer for Java 6 Study Guide : Kathy Sierra & Bert Bates( both of them were lead developer for the SCJP exam , there are books with same name but use Kathy one only. Most of SCJP qualified will swear by this book. But first you should use have some basic knowledge.)

A Programmer's Guide to Java SCJP Certification: A Comprehensive Primer by Khalid A. Mughal, Rolf W. Rasmussen ( This is second most extensive book use for SCJP ,you can read it first)

If you want to score good marks you should study from both books. I am using them both.

Specialisation

It depends on what you want to do. But first you will have to learn basics which you can by preparing &giving certification SCJP. You might see its price quite expensive but in India now you can can purchase it for less than Rs.5000( most probably for Rs.3000 , its cost fluctuate). It is valid for one year.

IDE

You should never use IDE when you are learning basics. It should be use when you have learn & want to study advanced. In fact , expert will tell you that you must choose an IDE then. But when you are learning basic you have to use cmd. You can choose IDE after you have learn much & advanced.


Why do you want to learn Java? For server applications , mobile applications or web development or any other use?

well I'm into learning the basics now, thats the idea as of now.

thanks for the detailed reply, added to your reputation points.

Thanks.

There are a lot of online resourses also to learn Java.

It's been a long time but I remember a book called
Java in a nutshell or something which I read.

-F

care to point out some good ones ?

Originally Posted by newprouser

care to point out some good ones ?

let me see, the Sun/Java website was also pretty good a few
years back when I was looking at Java.

-F

Originally Posted by newprouser

I intend to learn java and I know programming with C++.

Please suggest me the following:

1. Book:

i'm currently using Java for Dummies, since i'm a complete newbie to java. Is it fine or is there any better.

2. Specialisation :
There are many versions of Java like SE,EE, Netbeans etc. Which one should I learn first ?


PS: you can go through a lot of online tutorial offered by sun.

3. IDE



Is it good to use IDE or should I play with cmd ? If yes for IDE, which one is best ?

I see that there are Eclipse,Jcreator,Netbeans ,Jbuilder IDE, so confused.

Well if you want detailed description then go for "Head First Java".
Side by side go for "Java by Khalid Mughal". It's such a wonderful book. Easy language...covers everything.

Netbeans is an IDE FYI.

First cover core java because it's like base.

Experts say that don't go for any IDE, just use textpad. Well I personally like IDE but you must know how to compile and run your java program without using IDE.

You can use eclipse or netbeans since they are free and rich in features.

Hey can't we create a java forum here?

Sure we can ask a separate forum for programming, if enough people request/show interest.

> compiling java is jus goto dos, javac <filename> right, or there's more to it
(i've tried only untill that )

> about netbeans i tho its IDE as well some extention of java, now i gotit.

Basically an IDE, will compile separately in JAVA compiler and show the result in its window right ? what is the difference ?

Originally Posted by newprouser

Sure we can ask a separate forum for programming, if enough people request/show interest.

> compiling java is jus goto dos, javac <filename> right, or there's more to it
(i've tried only untill that )

> about netbeans i tho its IDE as well some extention of java, now i gotit.

Basically an IDE, will compile separately in JAVA compiler and show the result in its window right ? what is the difference ?

compiling one java file is easy. but when there are multiple java files in different packages and some of them use third part jar then it's not that easy.


Count me in for shouting for the creation of separate forum.
netbeans is an IDE developed by sun itself.

Lolz okie

When you use IDE, you don't have to write anything for compiling or running your application. They have their own console where you can see the output.

Actually when you configure IDE,say eclipse, you'll have to mention the path of the jdk.

Eclipse compiles your java file everytime you change it and save.

Originally Posted by nandini

compiling one java file is easy. but when there are multiple java files in different packages and some of them use third part jar then it's not that easy.


Count me in for shouting for the creation of separate forum.
netbeans is an IDE developed by sun itself.

hey do you know jars for mobiles??

ok thats what was trying to ask in the other post !

Originally Posted by mickey

hey do you know jars for mobiles??

what kind of jars?

jars are nothing but compressed java class files.

What an irony!!!

This thread is in Windows category and Java claims to be platform independent.

Originally Posted by nandini

what kind of jars?

jars are nothing but compressed java class files.

What an irony!!!

This thread is in Windows category and Java claims to be platform independent.

I too think we should have separate section for programming. I too find it funny that this is in windows as I am using FreeBSD & Ubuntu.

Does linux have inbuilt support for compling java like for C ?

Jars are archives much like zip files which can have any files. They are of two types :-
1. executables (theseare applications which can be open by clicking simply)
2. nonexecutables(they are simple archives much like zip)

Originally Posted by newprouser

Does linux have inbuilt support for compling java like for C ?

No you have to install jdk ( default is Open jdk) & jre. But some distro might give pre installed.

Originally Posted by newprouser

Does linux have inbuilt support for compling java like for C ?

what do you mean by inbuild support??

You have to have some kind of compiler for compiling.

I think he meant to say compiler pre-installed like gcc is in nearly all linux distros used in PC.
Java compiler is also preinstalled in many distros DVD.

i meant if they are included with OS, for eg : like MS debugger, dos etc

@ LS
gotit.

there're two things...
java compiler : responsible for compiling your java files.

jre : java runtime environment. It's responsile for running the java appliaction. These days almost all the operating system jre with OS itself. In windows you can check it's presence in control panel.

Somw linux distros DVD have compiler also. Fedora 9 DVD had.

JRE is well known , I try my best not to use Java appz.

Well the compiler doesn't require the runtime to run right ? It oly provides libraries in destination computer na.

Originally Posted by Luke Skywalker

Somw linux distros DVD have compiler also. Fedora 9 DVD had.

its time they added it to all Linux i guess.

Originally Posted by newprouser

JRE is well, I try my best not to use Java appz.

Well the compiler doesn't require the runtime to run right ? It oly provides libraries in destination computer na.



its time they added it to all Linux i guess.

But you will need JRE for running applications & there many runtime exceptions( which are divided into checked & unchecked) also. So JRE is a must also.