Thanks for responses!

        Thanks to everyone who was kind enough to respond to my questions.  It  
 
appears there are 20-30 list members who are willing to post to the list.   
Most seem to be only beginning with Java.  I have an idea for a   
discussion that may be useful to everyone and that everyone can possibly   
contribute. What approaches are being used to learn Java?  The syntax of   
Java is simple but to master how to use the language to take advantage of   
object-oriented principles is another story.  I'll start by sharing some   
of my experiences.  I have not taken any formal classes on java.  I'm   
learning by reading books and reading documentation on the internet.  (ie   
Sun's site and the documentation included with the AS/400 Toolbox for   
Java)  I have purchased numerous books. (Gets kind of expensive)  The   
only problem is the books seem to be obsolete a month after they get   
published and the books that get published seem to be rushed out the   
door.  (ie numerous mistakes and not much depth)  I would like to find   
more books that give in-depth business examples.  Many of the books give   
brief examples to demonstrate a concept, but I would like to see examples   
that put all the pieces together.  Here are some thoughts on some   
references.  I don't claim to be an expert, so if you disagree with my   
opinion, that's fine.  Just explain why you disagree.  Hopefully this   
discussion will help anyone trying to learn java.
1) Sun internet site - Good starting point. Not as well structured as a   
book might be.  Also I think a good book on a particular topic might give   
more information.
2) Toolbox documentation - Good reference for working with AS/400 and   
some nice examples but not great depth.  You have to experiment to learn   
all the details.
3) Java in a Nutshell - Good brief reference.  (Better for a C or C++   
programmer)
4) Core Java Vol I and II - I've read most of Vol. I.  I thought it   
helped me.
5) Core Java Foundation Classes - The best book on Swing that I found.  I   
liked the book.  It helped alot in learning swing.  It could have more   
depth.
6) Java for RPG programmers - I have not read it but I have heard good   
things. I heard it's a good starting point for RPG programmers since many   
of the java books are tailored to C programmers.
7) VisualAge for Java - I found the documentation to be very poor as a   
teaching tool.  Very brief tutorial.
    

This is just some of the better sources I have used to develop my   
understanding of Java. With the release of Java 2 some of these books may   
be obsolete.  I'm sure in the next few months there will be numerous new   
books and new editions of old books to support the release of Java 1.2.
I repeat, I'm just starting with java so my opinion might not be worth   
very much, but hopefully this might get a healthy discussion going.
Anyone else have any thoughts on the best way to learn java or any   
sources that others might find useful?   I know everyone is busy, Y2K and   
all that, but maybe this mail list could become a good reference if   
everyone contributes alittle. :)   
                                                             
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