RE: Learning java - any advice please?

Daniel Eyers wrote:

   Books are helpful but I found when I needed to do something, I went to
   the web looking for example code.  It's pretty much out there.  I find
   that mimicking examples helped me to understand the favor of the
   language and learn what's
   posssible.  If I came up against something I didn't understand, I'd hit
   the Javadoc or web resources.  Of course, this mail list is full of
   friendly people who want to help.

This is good advise for all but  the "learning object-orientation" part of
Java.  A few things really do need to be learned in some kind of formal
setting.  A good class or, failing that, a good book is mandetory for this
one.  It's not as hard as calculus, but it is nontrivial enough that you
really want to learn it from a good practitioner -- nothing will save you
more time and grief.

Getting started "procedurally" is OK because you really have no practical
choice.  But, make a commitment to learn object-orientation in some kind of
formal manner.  It's half the point of Java and it can really pay off big
to you and your business.

--

Larry Loen, Senior Programmer iSeries Java and Linux analysis