Preparation for Java programming course

[six26]

Let me preface this post by saying I'm a complete beginner to programming beyond basic HTML.

I'll be returning home from Iraq in the next month and will be taking a Java programming course this Fall at the University. I'd like to use what free time I have to prepare for the course so I don't completely get my ass-kicked.

Due to where I'm currently located, internet access is pretty limited and unreliable. I can, however, usually spend a couple of hours a day on the internet for recreational purposes. I can also download content on the public computer, transfer it to a thumb drive and then transfer it to my personal laptop.

Any suggestions on where and how I can best spend my time over the next couple of months preparing for this course? I'm not looking to become an expert in only a few short months, I'd just like to feel more comfortable going into this coming semester. Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[beginner99]

Learn about OOP (Object Oriented Programming).

Do you now what a "for-loop" is? Do you know what an "if statement" is?
If not -> google it

for Java specific stuff:

http://download.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/

 

[tatteredpotato]

Get the book "Head First Java" and that should get you more than prepared for your class. You can usually get a digita copy if your circumstances rule out obtaining the physical book.

 

[Cogman]

Get the book "Head First Java" and that should get you more than prepared for your class. You can usually get a digita copy if your circumstances rule out obtaining the physical book.

I don't know how feasible that is for someone in Iraq.

If you can get your hands on ANY beginners programming book, that would be a good start. A java oriented one would be best (though, most programming languages are really quite similar, it is the concepts that are the tricky part).

That being said,
http://download.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/

This has a tutorial download that you could use. If you download that and get some of the first few tutorials printed off, that might be of some assistance. While I'm a big fan of learning by doing, that might not be possible for you. You might consider skipping the tutorials that deal with getting setup.

When learning a programming language/how to program, nothing really beats just getting your hands dirty. Barring that, reading a tutorial can be invaluable.

 

[TridenT]

If it's a beginner course, I wouldn't worry...

Just make sure you know what a for loop is, a do while, a while loop, maybe arrays, if statements... idk what else.

 

[slugg]

You need to learn about data types... In other words, what's the difference between these values:

1
1.0
"1.0"

You should also know some basic prepositional logic, which is fancy-schmancy terminology for "If X, then Y" arguments. For example, "if the shape is a square, then it is a rectangle." This can be a bit tricky at first, believe it or not.

A good way to understand concepts, when you get to them, is to read and write flow-charts.

 

[ncalipari]

(Advice from someone who train 2-3 new java developers from html every year)


It all depends on how good you want to become.

If you need java just to land a job but it's not your life aspiration, then read a bit of wikipedia while waiting for the course.


If you want to become a skilled developers, then you will absolutely need to integrate what you learn at the course.

The fact is, that I think that a 6 month long course will focus on programming and will skip the theory.

But the theory is as important as the practice, especially for someone who comes from html.

You need to learn cycles, memory, data types, ObjectOriented, .....

In this case your best bet is:

1) Skip altogether oracle's guide. It's boring, long, poorly organized. It will be very useful in the future. Not now.

2) Head first java is a VERY good book. I would drastically change a few chapters (Swing and RPC) but overall is very good. The fact is that it is too difficult for you now. You need an introduction, or a lot of patience and wikipedia to read this book.


3) What you would need is an intermediate language to learn before java. Java is too verbose and this might put off a beginner. If you have time I would advice python, but it depends on you.

4) A good book to start is:

http://www.amazon.com/How-Think-Like...4425552&sr=1-2

(I usually use the python version, but they told me that also the java version is not bad)


4bis) An even better book is:

http://mindview.net/Books/TIJ4

the fact is that you would need someone to clarify some aspects (maybe on a forum)

Remember that you can always find these books freely available on the torrent. Then if you like them, buy when you will go back home.

5) This book is not strictly related to development, but it makes you more clever. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0465026567/...ackoverfl08-20

If life were a RPG, this book would give you +10 to your intelligence.


6) Developing is a question of tools. And now I will give you the most important tool for you as a developers:

http://stackoverflow.com/


7) Last advice: Make love, not war

 

[degibson]

Quoting OP:

I'll be returning home from Iraq in the next month ...

Due to where I'm currently located, internet access is pretty limited and unreliable. I can, however, usually spend a couple of hours a day on the internet for recreational purposes. I can also download content on the public computer, transfer it to a thumb drive and then transfer it to my personal laptop.

I.e., I'm guessing suggestions of which books to buy aren't very useful in this case.

 

[Cogman]

Quoting OP:


I.e., I'm guessing suggestions of which books to buy aren't very useful in this case.

That is what I was thinking initially, however, he also said that he would be starting in the fall. So a book may be useful after he finishes his deployment (~4 months is enough to get familiar.)

 

[six26]

Thanks for the recommendations everyone! You've been extremely helpful. I've got a good starting point now. I'll probably see what book the professor will be using (hopefully one of the ones y'all have mentioned) and have it sent to my home in the states so I can spend a few months with it before the course starts. I may even just pick up the Head First Java one anyways--it's only 17 or 18 bucks on Amazon.

 

[Leros]

My university offers two different first semester CS courses. Most students already know a little about programming, so they take Intro to CS. However, there is a course before that, Intro to Programming, if you've never programmed in your life. Intro to CS makes very little assumption about how much you know, but it assumes you've programmed and compiled a few programs using loops and if statements.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Besides a Java training book; you need to get yourself a Java compiler and source file editor.

When I first took a Java course at a local community college, there was something called BlueJay that had a simplistic IDE and free

 

[ncalipari]

Besides a Java training book; you need to get yourself a Java compiler and source file editor.

When I first took a Java course at a local community college, there was something called BlueJay that had a simplistic IDE and free

do you prefer that over eclipse?

 

[TridenT]

Besides a Java training book; you need to get yourself a Java compiler and source file editor.

When I first took a Java course at a local community college, there was something called BlueJay that had a simplistic IDE and free

BlueJ is good. It's very simple IDE that makes sense for starting out.

 

[Leros]

do you prefer that over eclipse?

Eclipse has too much going on for a noobie. I know I felt overwhelmed with Eclipse when I started programming. I liked the free version of JCreator.

 

[tatteredpotato]

Eclipse has too much going on for a noobie. I know I felt overwhelmed with Eclipse when I started programming. I liked the free version of JCreator.

Eclipse being too much for a noobie? Noobies should be learning gcc and vim IMO. I wasn't exposed to vim until grad school and I'm terribly upset I missed out on such a powerful too for so long. (Although for Java I consider an IDE to be a necessity if only for 'fix imports' alone).

Choice of IDE is a big personal preference thing... I suggest the OP try as many IDEs as possible til he finds what he likes.