java

This post is intended for helping newbies who wish to know about JAVA programming language.
Recommended For: undergraduates in college, software job aspirants, freshers (everyone who donot know JAVA for that matter)
Why JAVA?If you aspire to become a software engineer, learning java is the best thing that you can do. Knowledge in JAVA could help you fetching a job or if you already are in some company, it would give you an edge over others.It could help new joinees clearing the training programme conducted at the company that you would join would be a cake walk.
What is JAVA?It is a programming language used for developing web based or stand alone applications. You can think of it as a tool to develop all the graphical user stuff like buttons, drop downs and menus and web based applications. Its a hot technology that is very much in demand in the current market. You must have noticed internet pages ending with .jsp They are Java Server Pages. So next time when you see jsp on page address,you will know that website uses JAVA technology.Java transformed the web industry and created waves. It came to existance in 1995. It was made to support embedded systems. It was not succesful in embedded systems but it attracted World wide web. You must have heard some rumours that JAVA may die, but owing to its features and object oriented concepts JAVA is here to stay.
What are the versions of JAVA, Which of them do I need to learn?Java Standard EditionJava Enterprise EditionJava Mobile EditionJava FX
As a beginner you are concerned only about JAVA standard edition. Even in that there are many versions such asJ2SE 6.0J2SE 5.0J2SE 1.4.2J2SE 1.3.1
J2SE 6.0 is the latest one, but as a beginner I would recommend you to start with J2SE 1.4.2 which is the most widely used one.
How do I learn JAVA?It is recommended that you join a long term Sun certified computer institute that teaches Java(NIIT /SSI/Any-institute-next-door). For all those wondering what is Sun doing here, Sun Microsystems is the organisation that develops Java and puts it on net to be downloaded for free. They earn through the money that comes from certification courses and training. Sun Microsystems offers many certification courses. I will tell in detail about certifications in the coming questions.You can even find introduction of JAVA in Sun Microsystems site, which you can easily find by googling, that would only help your learning.
Any supplementary material to learn JAVA better?If you wish to supplement your knowledge that you get from a training institute "after" finishing Core JAVA course, you can read "Thinking in JAVA by Bruce eckel" . This book is NOT for beginners.
How many days would I require to learn JAVA?In order to learn the basics of Core Java you would require 3 months and if you take a short term course, I believe it would take 3 weeks to grasp the concepts and get going. If you want to learn and get SCJP( Sun Certified Java Professional) certification you will need 3-6 months of study and practice.
What are the pre-requisites for learning JAVA?You should know any procedural programming lanugage like C language well. Acquaintance with Control statements, Syntax of statements and expressions, Scope rules, Functions and call by value, data types in C language is a must.Knowledge of C++ is a great plus, not mandatory though. In C++ acquaintance with object oriented programming concepts, classes, Inheritance, Overloading concepts would help you learn Java better.Java is an object oriented language and shares a few similarities with C++. Java is all about classes and objects. So good knowledge of object oriented concepts would help you learn Java a lot quicker.
What topics should I focus on in JAVA 2 Special Edition?Object Oriented conepts: Classes and objects, Interfaces, Inheritance, Abstract classes, access modifiers, data types, variables, static variables, Java Beans naming standards, packages, invoking and using javac compiler, debugging java code, Exceptions, Arrays, Constructors, overloading, String class, Input/Output streams, AWT, basics of swings, applets, collection classes and utilities.
What are Certifications in JAVA?Certifications are special online tests conducted by the company that creates a technology. This certifications are words of promise that beholder of that certification would have sound knowledge in that technology. Sun certifications are highly respected in software organisations.
To name few of certifications that Sun MicroSystems has to offer:SCJA(Sun Certified JAVA Associate)SCJP(Sun Certified JAVA Programmer)SCJD(Sun Certified JAVA Developer)
SCJA is too basic and is not valued as much as SCJP. I recommend a beginner to aim for SCJP. SCJD is advanced certification and it is not for beginners. For SCJD you require to have SCJP certification. Few years of experience would make you fit for SCJD.
How to prepare for SCJP(Sun Certified JAVA professional) certification?After finishing Core java course in a good computer training institute. Ideally with 3 months of practise and "Sun Certified Java Programmer for JAVA 5 by Kathy sierra and Berty Bates" would be the best book in the market to achieve your goal.
What is J2EE now?It is continuation of J2SE . J2EE is used for preparing server pages where as J2SE is used for preparing client pages and applications.