FAQ or tutorials?

[CornedBee]

Isn't there any FAQ/tutorials announcement on this page? My question would be answered by such a thing.

Since there isn't one, here I go:
Where can I find a free Java compiler and tutorials? (for windows)

[crptcblade]

java.sun.com

It doesn't get much more free.

:D

[CornedBee]

thx

[Mrs Kensington]

What happened to the FAQ? someone was gonna write one up, we offered to help and then heard nothing.

Anyone know?

[Dillinger4]

Yeah the Java forum needs to be beefed up
a little. crptcblade was supposed to supply
the beef :eek: A FAQ would cover most of the
basic questions asked. Ok so who want's to
accept this challenge? :p

[Mrs Kensington]

Well lets start a nice collection of questions and then if people feel like writing answers they can post a reply.
It can then all be amalgamated into 1 big FAQ!

ok you've got the obvious ones...

1. What is Java?
2. What do I need to write Java?
3. Are there any other compilers apart from Suns?
4. What IDE's are available for java?
5. What are good books for learning Java?

any one else with any others??

[CornedBee]

6. Where can I find online tutorials for Java?

(The one at java.sun.com is GREAT, thx again)

[Ahriman]

a very common obstical to new java programers is the classpath,
a lot of newbies can't run their byte codes cause they enter the -classpath wrong or not at all. Nothing at java.sun.com addresses this very well (i had to have someone on a bbs explain it to me, despite reading everything @ java.sun.com ten times).

the faq should cover it

[zmerlinz]

here is a good question

what is the point of Java apart from the portability of it all, what else has Java done for us ??

[Dillinger4]

Yeah your right.... Setting the classpath in the autoexec.bat is probably the most common asked question. :p

[Mrs Kensington]

OK someone got rather bored at work today (thats me by the way) and so stuck all the questions together.
I'm quite happy to organise and collate it but I'm not writing it all!

Heres my current list do add to it and submit any answers if you feel like it!

Whats the reward??? Peace of mind that you've helped make the world a better place :)

Oh and I know nothing about JSP so someone else will ahve to think of some questions and answers for that!

General Java Questions
----------------------
What is Java?
What advantages does Java have over other languages?
What do I need to write Java?
How do I set-up my computer to write Java?
Are there any other compilers apart from Suns?
What IDE's are available for java?
What are good books for learning Java?
Where can I find online tutorials for Java?
How do I write a Hello World Program?

OOP Questions
-------------
What is OOP?
Why use OOP over procedural?
What is an Interface and why is it useful?
What is inheritance and why is it useful?

I/O Questions
-------------
How do I get input from the console?
How do I read in a text file?
What is Serializable?
How do I "Serialize" a file?

Applet Questions
----------------
How do I write an Applet?
Why do I get ClassNotFoundException when i run my applet in IE?
What's the difference between Applet and JApplet?

Swing Questions
---------------
What is Swing?
What is a layout manager?
How I can specify exact co-ordinates for Components?
How do I change the look and feel?

JSP Questions
-------------

[Ahriman]

i volunteer to do all the questions and put them on the web if need be

[Ahriman]

Here is what i got so far. I left out the question on setting-up Java. Did you mean setting the classpath variable and that kind of stuff? I need more books for the book sections. Can someone help me out?

Q What is Java?
A Java is a technology that is made up of two main parts, the Java programming language and the Java platform. Programs written in Java can run on any computer that has the Java platform. For a short article on how Java technology works, visit http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/getStarted/intro/definition.html

Q What advantages does Java have over other languages?
A Programs written in Java can run on any computer or opperating system that has the Java platform installed. Since there is a Java platform for almost every computer or operating system, Java can run just about anywhere. With Java, you only need to write your program once to run it on multiple operating systems.

Java is free. You can get free documentation, tutorials, compilers, IDEs, tools and all kinds of other resources from java.sun.com. Ofcourse, there are comercial products you can buy if you wish, but they are not mandatory for writting Java.

Java is a powerful, high-performance language that is much simpler and easier to use than C or C++. A lot less time required to learn Java than C/C++. This is a tremendos advantage for a company that must train its employees, and for a new programmer that is egar to write their first app.

It is quicker to write and debug Java programs than C/C++ programs. It takes less time to write the same program in Java than in C/C++.

Q What do I need to write Java?
A To write programs in Java, you need a Java Development Kit(JDK). The JDK contains the Java platform (also refered to as Java Runtime Environment or JRE), and all the tools you need to write programs. You can get the JDK for the Windows, Linux or Solaris operating systems here, http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4/download.html Macintosh users must download the Macintosh Runtime Environment for Java (MRJ) and SDK separately. Go here for both, http://developer.apple.com/java/download.html

Q How do I write a Hello World Program?
A go here to find out http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/getStarted/cupojava/index.html

Q What is the difference between java.exe and javaw.exe?
A Running a program with java.exe creats a console window. Running a program with javaw.exe does not. Javaw.exe is ideal for running swing applications where console windows are unnessesary.

Q Are there any other compilers apart from Sun's?
A Yes, there are many other compilers for Java. You can easily find them by searching the Internet. Probably the most popular is Jikes. I recomend it because it gives much better error messages than Sun's compiler. You can download it here, http://oss.software.ibm.com/developerworks/project/showfiles.php?group_id=10
Jikes works just like Sun's compiler.

Q What IDE's are available for java?
A - JCreator http://www.JCreator.com
- Forte for Java http://www.sun.com/forte/ffj/buy.html
- JBuilder http://www.borland.com/jbuilder/
- VisualCafe http://www.webgain.com/products/visual_cafe/
- JDeveloper http://technet.oracle.com/products/jdev/content.html
- CodeWarrior http://www.metrowerks.com/desktop/java/
- Ready to Program http://www.holtsoft.com/ready/

Q What are good books for learning Java?
A - Graphic Java 2, Mastering The JFC (for swing development)
You can always go to Amazon.com to look for books or to get book reviews.

Q Where can I find online tutorials for Java?
A - http://www.java.sun.com/tutorial/
- http://www-105.ibm.com/developerworks/education.nsf/dw/java-onlinecourse-bytitle?OpenDocument&Count=500%26loc=j

A good tutorial on inheritance can be found here http://www.holtsoft.com/java/resources/inherit_tutorial/Inheritance/Title.html
A good tutorial on how to build an application from the ground up can be found here http://developer.java.sun.com/developer/onlineTraining/new2java/divelog/

Q Where can I find other Java resources?
A http://java.sun.com/
http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/java/?loc=dwmain

[Dillinger4]

Looks good to me. :)

[StrangerInBeijing]

Thanxalot Mrs Kensington & Ahriman.
This will surely help a stack with a complete noob like myself!
Keep up the good work!

Cheers

Stranger

[MethadoneBoy]

A list of common error messages and their solutions might be a useful addition?

For example -

Q: "I keep getting the 'NoClassDef: Main' error when I try to compile my program."

S: "Your classpath may be set incorrectlty. To see how to set a classpath properly, try this link www.classpathexample.com (http://)"

Hope that helps :)