How to start with Java

[cmh]

What is the best way to learn Java? I have used ASP somewhat and am interested in learning java. College class? Books? Are there really any prerequisites? Some say you should take VB first. Any help is appreciated.

[buntine]

Some say you should take VB first

I don't agree with this. It wouldn't hurt, but its definately not necessary.

You will need a good understanding of Object Oriented Programming concepts to truly understand Java. All good Java books will have several chapters dedicated to this topic.

I suggest you just go and get a book and get started. :)

Regards.

[ray326]

VB will do you no good. Check out the new "Head First" series from O'reilly. They have one for Java and one for JSP and Servlets. If they look too silly for you then check Bruce Eckels' Thinking in Java. You can actually get that one online for free if you don't need paper.

[BuezaWebDev]

Head First is a good book for beginners. I was required to buy it for my Java Object-Oriented Programming course but I didn't buy it because I took a look through it and it had way too many kiddy-pictures. The kiddy-pictures were drawn to explain the concepts of objects.

[ray326]

I've gotten some very positive feedback on the Head First books from totally newbies at work. Sort of like the Dummies books, they're not as silly as they look at first glance and often are the best choice for the totally ignorant.

[Paddy Notemaker]

I started a little while ago too. There is a good introduction on the internet by a woman called Anibal Wainstein that teaches the basics of game making. You can get this by searching with the words "mandomartis", "anibal" and "wainstein". If you go to the Sun website, there are digital textbooks that you can download in zip form, but you need to be prepared to wait 2+ hours if you have dialup internet. Going to this site is good once you get a grasp of the basics because you get a feel for what the java world is doing and you can also start to stretch your mind by solving other people's problems, even if you don't have much success to start with. While I was starting, I received a lot of help from ray32...., buntine, khalid and a whole bunch of others. These guys r the ones who will probably end up answering your questions if you have any. When you get the textbook from the Sun website, try and get the latest one, as Sun were due to release a new java edition under the code name mustang, or something like that. Hope this helps.

PS-If u want to do games, stick with 2d to begin with because 3d is a lot more complicated.