Welcome to the Java Programming Forums


The professional, friendly Java community. 21,500 members and growing!


The Java Programming Forums are a community of Java programmers from all around the World. Our members have a wide range of skills and they all have one thing in common: A passion to learn and code Java. We invite beginner Java programmers right through to Java professionals to post here and share your knowledge. Become a part of the community, help others, expand your knowledge of Java and enjoy talking with like minded people. Registration is quick and best of all free. We look forward to meeting you.


>> REGISTER NOW TO START POSTING


Members have full access to the forums. Advertisements are removed for registered users.

Results 1 to 2 of 2

Thread: Looking for information about where to get started

  1. #1
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2021
    Posts
    4
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Looking for information about where to get started

    I'm not completely new to programming. I am familiar with PHP/MySQL, Javascript, and HTML/CSS, and I use them for personal projects. I'm aiming to pick up Java (along with C# and Python) in order to get some useful things to put on my resume. I've been looking around online for a good Java book or an online course, but nothing has really grabbed me yet.

    In the case of online courses, I keep checking the websites in Google using "is ___ any good?" and it comes up with reddit results where everyone says it's terrible.

    In the case of books, I want to make sure the book I get is current. I know that Java has changed drastically at several times in its lifespan, to the extent that code written in 2000 might not even compile today? How recent should a book be? Some of the most-reviewed books I've made note of on Amazon:
    "Effective Java", by Joshua Bloch: The reviews suggest it's not appropriate for people who haven't already dipped into the language.
    "Head First Java, 2nd Edition", by Kathy Sierra & Bert Bates: This has more reviews than any other Java book on Amazon, but it's from 2005 and for Java 5.0. Is this even applicable to where Java is now?

    Finally, I know that there are some IDEs that have always been popular for Java: Eclipse is mentioned a lot, and my university has Dr Java installed on pretty much all the public computers. I'm really used to using Notepad++ for all my coding and I like its simplicity. Do I need a dedicated Java IDE or can I keep using Notepad++?

  2. #2
    Super Moderator Norm's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Eastern Florida
    Posts
    25,148
    Thanks
    65
    Thanked 2,721 Times in 2,671 Posts

    Default Re: Looking for information about where to get started

    Do I need a dedicated Java IDE or can I keep using Notepad++?
    No, you do not need a full IDE for developing java programs. I have a very old enhanced editor I use for my java programs. I do use Eclipse for Android. My editor has a dozen command line strings that can be loaded to do compiles and executions. The editor will fill in the strings with details such as the filename with/without the extension.
    A full IDE will have lots of helpful features but it has costs like freedom and speed.
    If you don't understand my answer, don't ignore it, ask a question.

Similar Threads

  1. just started
    By chinasa azodoh in forum Member Introductions
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: May 16th, 2014, 09:56 AM
  2. [SOLVED] need help getting started
    By eternal_sage in forum Java Servlet
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: March 19th, 2014, 04:23 PM
  3. Replies: 0
    Last Post: February 1st, 2013, 12:25 PM
  4. Just getting started!
    By frogfury in forum What's Wrong With My Code?
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: September 18th, 2010, 11:05 AM
  5. How do i get started?????
    By deepthought in forum Java ME (Mobile Edition)
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: June 11th, 2010, 01:43 PM