Thread: Newbie wants to learn Java

Hi! My name is Randy and I am starting to learn Java by teaching myself, Youtube videos, website tutorials and books. I find that Java is more interesting to me as I played around with learning C++ and C#. Programming has been an interest of mine since I was 12 and played my first video game. I am trying to find a book that will explain the syntax and the logic and etc. etc of the language. I have heard some good things about Joshua Bloch's book(s) and have heard some negative things about Deitel's How to Program Java book. Can someone or many people suggest a book that will help me get a better grasp of the language? I want to not only program games but also other applications that will enhance my knowledge. Thanks in advance.

Randy

Welcome Randy. I too am self-taught. (web mostly). I have found some of those online school videos to be most useful. The ones that have assignments and stuff to go with the videos. That plus forums such as this one (a substitute for a real teacher) where you can ask the questions the video can not answer. Also the sample programs from oracle make a good tool for seeing how 'the pros' do it. (so to speak) Invest just as much time writing your own small programs as possible. Especially once you get down the basic idea of object oriented programming. The more you play with it, the more comfortable you get. That leads to the ability to solve the larger problems without feeling overwhelmed. Good luck mate