Best way to start with java?

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Socoder -> Web Development -> Best way to start with java?
Sat, 17 Nov 2012, 06:25
Orion Pax	So I saw the post about editors! Now how is the best way to go about learning it? I am gonna start with plugins for minecraft! Any references?
Sat, 17 Nov 2012, 09:35
steve_ancell	This will get you started without having to do all the donkey work of setting up etc... www.bluej.org/ \|edit\| It just lets you get straight into coding as far as I remember, it's been years since I last used it. \|edit\|
Sat, 17 Nov 2012, 10:27
Afr0	Depending on how much language experience you have, you shouldn't really need to "learn" Java. Being a C# afficionado myself, I find that Java is really easy to understand. But the general rule of thumb is that the more languages you learn, the easier it becomes to learn new languages. I had to relearn Lua for my current project (I had been using it in a minor capacity before), and it took me less than a week to pick up what I needed to know. The two languages that are the exceptions to this rule are C and (moreso) C++. They have a (relatively) steep learning curve even for people with previous programming experience. Of course, none of this applies if you go from an OO-language like C++ to a functional language like Haskell. That requires you to learn how to think in a completely new way. -=-=- Afr0 Games Project Dollhouse on Github - Please fork!
Sat, 17 Nov 2012, 14:14
JL235	BlueJ is an excellent tool for learning Java, however if you already have a year or two of programming, I'd maybe skip it. Especially if you have already programming with any OO languages, and are used to working with classes and objects. After BlueJ, the main IDE in use is Eclipse, and it's great, but personally I much prefer NetBeans. There is also IntelliJ, which people rave about, but I've not used it. You can use a regular editor with Java, but it usually sucks. With Java you end up with a lot of files, and a lot of complex things can be solved easily with an IDE (like linking in a library). I'd advise building a few example projects first; some hello world type GUI or console applications. Just spend a week on that, and if you are getting the hang of it, then move on to Minecraft plugins. Overall, there are a lot more language features in Java than in most languages, but they also tend to be far more restrictive. So there are more small things to learn, but your code ends up being more dumb (which is easier to reason about).
Sat, 17 Nov 2012, 17:06
CodersRule	Joe is absolutely right that you'd benefit from doing the basics in Java before trying Minecraft plugins, but you'll be glad to hear that writing Minecraft plugins is actually really easy. With little Java experience, I was quickly able to whip together an easy plugin. Minecraft plugins form the base of how I learned Java.
Mon, 19 Nov 2012, 01:10
Orion Pax	Thanks guys I will give this a try if I can quit the minecrack long enough to do it! lol. At any rate I will look up everything ya'll mention and go from there. I was thinkin the same about some simple hello world apps and what not too. Some simple demo programs to test and play with what I am learning!