RE: learning java books/edu

>I've been reading this book called  Java 2 from scratch.. It rated a
>'beginner book'  but some of the concepts have gone over my
>head...

There are a lot of good 'beginner' books for Java.  If you are coming from a
more traditional programming approach like RPG, expect a learning curve no
matter what.  The concepts are different than anything you have probably
been exposed to before because the OO approach is very different.  Java
itself is probably the easiest OO language to learn (from what I've read)
and you don't have to worry about memory management or garbage collection.

Don Denoncourt gives a very good presentation RE Java for the RPG Programmer
and has written a pretty good companion book called "JAVA Application
Strategies for the iSeries & AS/400".  I like the way he explains OO
concepts in RPG terminology.

A good overview of the language can come from many places.  CORE Java2 is
pretty good.  O'Reilly is kind of accepted as an expert on everything but
I'm personally not too fond of the books.  If you want a comprehensive
approach, check out WROX "Beginning Java 2" by Ivor Horton.

As with a lot of other things, most of the books out today are for version
1.3, but 1.4 is now out in the market.  It doesn't detract from the quality
of any of the 1.3 books, but there are a whole slew of classes and things
like IO improvements that simply won't be covered.

The last thing I would suggest is to check out http://www.javaranch.com.
The Java Ranch is a place for all things Java, especially discussion.  They
have some great Boards and a lot of very knowledgeable people participate
there.  They also have something called the Cattledrive where you can do
assignments that progressively teach you basic Java.  Best of all, the
assignments are graded and you receive one on one feedback from the
instructors.  It's not free but it is most definitely worth the $200.


Best of Luck,

Joel R. Cochran
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