Starting learn Java

[Dagorlas]

Does some1 know a good Java program for ppl who start with learning
Java? I need 1 with a txtwriter and a compiler or something...

 

[Oliver Wong]

Does some1 know a good Java program for ppl who start with learning
Java? I need 1 with a txtwriter and a compiler or something...

I've never used it myself, but a lot of people recommend BlueJ for
learning Java:

http://www.bluej.org/

- Oliver

 

[David Segall]

Does some1 know a good Java program for ppl who start with learning
Java? I need 1 with a txtwriter and a compiler or something...

Many in this group would advise you to use a simple text editor like
Microsoft Notepad and Sun's command line compiler that you can
download from
<https://sdlc1b.sun.com/ECom/EComActionServlet;jsessionid=25EB17400293DAFB88B4DFA4FFC7BE81>
If Java is your first programming language then I would agree with
them. If you have already written some programs in another language or
after you have written a couple of programs in Java I suggest you
select a full featured IDE from my list at
<http://ide.profectus.com.au>.

 

[David Segall]

I've never used it myself, but a lot of people recommend BlueJ for
learning Java:

http://www.bluej.org/

I think that BlueJ is probably an excellent IDE for someone doing a
Java course with an instructor that is skilled at presenting the
object oriented perspective of both Java and BlueJ. From my
background, I found BlueJ added to my confusion because it used an
object oriented paradigm in the editor that was just as unfamiliar as
that in Java itself. I was much more comfortable using an IDE that was
similar to those that I was used to. I decided that it was hard enough
learning the OO view of the world without having to learn a new style
of IDE.

Interestingly, the BlueJ developers, who are supported by Sun, have
decided that their senior students need something more powerful and
have produced a migration path between BlueJ and NetBeans
<http://edu.netbeans.org/bluej/>.

 

[Chris Uppal]

From my
background, I found BlueJ added to my confusion because it used an
object oriented paradigm in the editor that was just as unfamiliar as
that in Java itself. I was much more comfortable using an IDE that was
similar to those that I was used to.

But isn't that part (or all) of your problem? You had prior expectations, the
OP doesn't.

Also, I /think/ I remember you saying that you found it difficul to getting
into OO thinking when you started with Java (I may be thinking of someone else,
though). If so then we could claim either that:

(a) You had prior expectations about how /systems/ work, which impeded
your learning both Java and BlueJ

or that:

(b) By deciding to give up on BlueJ you lost a change to learn OO thinking,
and that impeded your learning Java.

;-) (But only slightly)

-- chris

 

[Mark Space]

Does some1 know a good Java program for ppl who start with learning
Java? I need 1 with a txtwriter and a compiler or something...

I'd ditto what David said. If you have no or little prior experience,
just get the Java Standard Edition (not Enterprise Edition, that's got a
lot of junk that'll just confuse you) Software Development Kit, often
abbreviated as Java Development Kit -- JDK.

This one, I think:
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html

Get the one with NetBeans. NetBeans is an IDE, but you don't need to
use it yet. Just get things working with javac and notepad, and that'll
be a start.

Later you can work NetBeans into your development. After you've tried a
couple of basic apps with Swing, I think, but before you try anything
too complicated with Swing. Make sure to at least know about Swing,
Reflection, and Graphic Contexts before switching to NetBeans, or you'll
be a bit lost.


If you already know at least one language well, get the above and dive
into NetBeans and Java. (Note Javascript and HTML don't count as a
"language.")

 

[Dagorlas]

I downloaded Bluej....
If i start a new project and make a new class, i have to give a name.
I fill in a name and press ok. than i doubleclick on the new class and
i get a codemode.
But there are very much things filled in already...:


/**
* Write a description of class Saluton here.
*
* @author (your name)
* @version (a version number or a date)
*/
public class Saluton
{
// instance variables - replace the example below with your own
private int x;

/**
* Constructor for objects of class Saluton
*/
public Saluton()
{
// initialise instance variables
x = 0;
}

/**
* An example of a method - replace this comment with your own
*
* @param y a sample parameter for a method
* @return the sum of x and y
*/
public int sampleMethod(int y)
{
// put your code here
return x + y;
}
}

___________________________________________________________________________

Can i delete all that text and write my own code? and do i have to put
class nameofclass { too in that code or dont i have to do that?

 

[Oliver Wong]

If you have no or little prior experience, just get the Java Standard
Edition (not Enterprise Edition, that's got a lot of junk that'll just
confuse you) Software Development Kit, often abbreviated as Java
Development Kit -- JDK.

This one, I think:
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html

Except get the latest version (1.5 at the time of writing). You probably
won't use 1.5 features in the first few programs that you write, but just in
case you stumble across 1.5-only source code on the Internet or from books,
at least it'll compile.

http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/download.jsp for 1.5.
http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.html for a list of all versions.

- Oliver

 

[Oliver Wong]

I downloaded Bluej....
If i start a new project and make a new class, i have to give a name.
I fill in a name and press ok. than i doubleclick on the new class and
i get a codemode.
But there are very much things filled in already...:


/**
* Write a description of class Saluton here.
*
* @author (your name)
* @version (a version number or a date)
*/
public class Saluton
{
// instance variables - replace the example below with your own
private int x;

/**
* Constructor for objects of class Saluton
*/
public Saluton()
{
// initialise instance variables
x = 0;
}

/**
* An example of a method - replace this comment with your own
*
* @param y a sample parameter for a method
* @return the sum of x and y
*/
public int sampleMethod(int y)
{
// put your code here
return x + y;
}
}

___________________________________________________________________________

Can i delete all that text and write my own code? and do i have to put
class nameofclass { too in that code or dont i have to do that?

You could certainly delete everything and start from a blank file, if
you wanted to. Just note that in Java, there can only be 1 public class per
file, and the name of that public class has to be the same as the name of
the file. So if you have a file called "Foo.java", you have to name your
class "Foo".

- Oliver

 

[Dagorlas]

I finally builded a program in notepad and converted it to *.class .
But now, i dunno how to see my program :S

 

[Mark Space]

Except get the latest version (1.5 at the time of writing). You
probably won't use 1.5 features in the first few programs that you
write, but just in case you stumble across 1.5-only source code on the
Internet or from books, at least it'll compile.

For some reason, I find Sun's web pages really confusing and hard to
navigate. 1.4 is pretty popular, and a lot of the documentation out
there is written for older versions of Java, not always the very latest.
But thanks for finding that link, it's probably better to have the
latest if you're just starting out.

 

[Oliver Wong]

I finally builded a program in notepad and converted it to *.class .
But now, i dunno how to see my program :S

Read http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/getStarted/cupojava/index.html

- Oliver

 

[charles hottel]

Does some1 know a good Java program for ppl who start with learning
Java? I need 1 with a txtwriter and a compiler or something...

I have been using Textpad and am satisfied with it. See
http://www.textpad.com/
It was recommended by the first book that I read.

This forces me to enter the source code from scratch and thus learn the
details. Once you master the details yourself you can more easily understand
the code produced from more powerful IDEs like Eclipse.

 

[jussij]

Does some1 know a good Java program for ppl who
start with learning Java? I need 1 with a txtwriter
and a compiler or something...

The Zeus for Windows IDE has support for Java:

http://www.zeusedit.com/features.html
Note: Zeus is shareware (45 day trial).

It has features like class browsing, syntax highlighting,
smart indent, code folding, project/workspace management,
integrated version control etc etc.

Also the Zeus Quick Help feature also works with the Java
SDK help file:

http://www.zeusedit.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10

This means you can quickly access the SDK information from
within the IDE.

Jussi Jumppanen
Author: Zeus for Windows

 

[David Segall]

But isn't that part (or all) of your problem? You had prior expectations, the
OP doesn't.

I simply intended to warn the OP about my problem because it might
also be his. It was not clear to me that Java was the OP's first
language.

Also, I /think/ I remember you saying that you found it difficul to getting
into OO thinking when you started with Java (I may be thinking of someone else,
though). If so then we could claim either that:

(a) You had prior expectations about how /systems/ work, which impeded
your learning both Java and BlueJ

or that:

(b) By deciding to give up on BlueJ you lost a change to learn OO thinking,
and that impeded your learning Java.

There is no doubt that my prior expectations were a handicap. It is
also likely that my method of learning a new language is a handicap
but I cannot help writing the new language as though it was the
previous one. I do not think that I was capable of learning OO
thinking without first learning an OO language. Although I have now
written quite a lot of Java code my OO thinking still does not come
naturally. I can safely say that, for me, (b) is false.

 

[Jeff Kish]

Does some1 know a good Java program for ppl who start with learning
Java? I need 1 with a txtwriter and a compiler or something...

I'd recommend pick up a beginner java for dummies book or something,
as they seem to take the person from the very beginning. Read very
carefully especially at first.

Not saying you are a dummy, it's their name, not mine!

Good Luck

HTH