Few Questions about JAVA

[Fox5]

Er, why would you ever need to learn the API stuff? All of the common stuff is very well documented, so using it is pretty much as simple as knowing what class you need in the first place.

Yep, I don't really know why I felt like pointing out that he wouldn't learn the entire API. That said, I certainly believe 3 months, especially for an experienced programmer, is substantial time to learn about Java, but it really depends on the work he puts into it. Redesigning some previous programs he's done for Java would probably be a good start.

 

[Spaceman-Spiff]

I like JCreator: www.jcreator.com

 

[Graham]

Good post. I would like to add Mono to that list. It is sponsored by Novell and quite often referred by Microsoft employees.

Yes my brain was in the clouds. I meant Mono not Tao Tao is one of the parts of mono, wrapping many common libs like openGL.

 

[Snyder]

Er, why would you ever need to learn the API stuff? All of the common stuff is very well documented, so using it is pretty much as simple as knowing what class you need in the first place.

Well, in my experience it's not only what class you need, but also how you use it. Otherwise I wouldn't see even experienced Java developers doing CPU-intensive stuff in the event dispatch thread and cursing Swing afterwards for not being responsive, for example... (And yes, I admit I used to do that as well...*whistle*)
But you're right - good documentation is a key for quickly learning how to use an API. That's an area where Java definitely has the upper hand to .net at the moment. I've come to hate the MSDN Docs with a passion during the last year...

 

[Otto Dafe]

I actually felt like my C++ experience was detrimental in JAVA to some extent. It's sort of like if you were a really good basketball player and then one day you had to play with a ball that's slightly smaller. Same game, but the nuance can screw you. Take my advice and keep a ruler on your desk--every time you assume your passing by value and then remember you passed a ref, whack yourself--hard.

Oh yeah, and as was mentioned, javadoc kicks the booty.

 

[Xmas]

Take my advice and keep a ruler on your desk--every time you assume your passing by value and then remember you passed a ref, whack yourself--hard.

But Java always passes by value. Even references.

 

[Deepak]

Another questions folks, I have "Java 2: The Complete Reference, the Fifth Edition" by Herbert Schildt but it is an old (2002) edition. Is it ok to read such an old edition, several things must have changed since then. And what about the online tutorials on Sun's Java website? I should probably read them too.