[baseball435]

Hi, the other day i was looking at a post in the c++ section about creating a game and i read through some of the replys and one said that java is a good language to start programming in. I already have a little experience in c++ but i want to start learning java.

I dont really know how or where to start. I dont know what i should use to write and compile code. Is there any program out there for java that would be like visual C++?

Also I dont really know where to find any good tutorials. I have searched google but havent been very succesful.

If anyone has any good suggestions please post them! thanks!

This post has been edited by baseball435: 04 January 2010 - 04:39 PM

[macosxnerd101]

JCreator is a good program for beginner programmers to write Java in. For tutorials, look in the Java Tutorials section. I know NeoTifa has a couple good tutorials for beginners, if you want to check them out.

[baseball435]

okay thanks ill try that out. I also heard netbeans wasnt that bad. Do you think maybe that might work?

[macosxnerd101]

NetBeans is good for bigger programs, and really isn't condusive to helping new programmers learn Java. It is fairly complex to use, and it provides some benefits like filling in methods and variable names from other classes that you are using. While it sounds really helpful (and is), it is better to learn a lot of the basic and common methods, classes and variables yourself before using something that will fill it in for you. Once you get knee-deep into Java and really understand what you are doing, then I would transition over to NetBeans, but not before. For now though, JCreator is the better chioce in my opinion.

[baseball435]

okay thanks. I just got Jcreator and it is perfect for me. Looks just like any type of visual c++ or basic or anything. thanks guys! Now i have to find tutorials.

[erik.price]

I would have to agree here. As much as I love Netbeans and its features, I would not recommend it to a beginner. Many of the benefits of such a complex IDE are not needed at the beginning stages anyway.

Once you get the basics down however, I highly recommend it. Code completion in amazing, especially for forgetful people like me

[Dogstopper]

I suggest, like macosxnerd101 said, using a simple text editor and the command line until you have the feel for Java. Once you are more experienced, then you should be able to reap the benefits of an IDE like Eclipse or Netbeans. I think that by doing this, it forces the beginner to read the API behind it all and to understand the semantics of the language better.

Here are a few links:
API: http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/api/
Sun Tutorials/Reference: http://java.sun.com/...rial/index.html

Also many many good tutorials and code snippets here on DIC.
Tutorials: http://www.dreaminco...showforum50.htm
Snippets: http://www.dreaminco...rowse.php?cid=6

EDIT: Happy, mac?!

This post has been edited by Dogstopper: 04 January 2010 - 07:28 PM

[baseball435]

Okay thanks for the tutorials Ill check them out. And yeah I think im going to stick with Jcreator for a little while until i get the hang of things

[ElCam]

baseball435, on 4 Jan, 2010 - 04:21 PM, said:

Okay thanks for the tutorials Ill check them out. And yeah I think im going to stick with Jcreator for a little while until i get the hang of things

Hey I don't know if anybody suggested it, but once you get the hang of Java language a good piece of software to use is Eclipse. The software system is very good for java programming it has amazing debugging tools and analysis. I hope this helps!

[pbl]

Dogstopper, on 4 Jan, 2010 - 04:14 PM, said:

For a beginner Java programmer, like macosxnerd101, I suggest using a simple text editor and the command line until you have the feel for Java. Once you are more experienced, then you should be able to reap the benefits of an IDE like Eclipse or Netbeans. I think that by doing this, it forces the beginner to read the API behind it all and to understand the semantics of the language better.

[macosxnerd101]

Dogstopper, on 4 Jan, 2010 - 08:14 PM, said:

For a beginner Java programmer, like macosxnerd101, I suggest...

You might want to work on your sentence structure a little b/c if I didn't know any better, I'd think you're calling me a n00b.

This post has been edited by macosxnerd101: 04 January 2010 - 07:20 PM

[m-e-g-a-z]

You should try giving TextPad a go..i know alot of universities that get their students to start programming using it.

[Dogstopper]

oops fixed...

macosxnerd101, on 4 Jan, 2010 - 08:19 PM, said:

Dogstopper, on 4 Jan, 2010 - 08:14 PM, said:

For a beginner Java programmer, like macosxnerd101, I suggest...

You might want to work on your sentence structure a little b/c if I didn't know any better, I'd think you're calling me a n00b.