At 10:13 15-03-00 , Gary Thorpe wrote:
>So I am right in assuming that everyone thinks that 
>Java is the way to go when it comes to learning 
>programming languages?

Java is a good language to know. Perl is a good language to know. C and C++
are good languages to know. An assembler language might also be a good
thing to know.

Among those tools you can effectively master just about any problem you
might encounter. As Dr. Ken Iverson, creator of APL (A Programming
Language) observed a few decades ago, a programming language is really easy
to learn... other than learning a whole new way of thinking, there really
isn't much to it at all. <g>

You would be wise to learn solid languages first, do a lot of work with
them, and solve some interesting problems with them. Truly learn to think
in each of them.

Later you can learn notations such as Basic quite easily, to the limited
extent that they might be of use.

>Also any good beginners books on Java would be a 
>great help so I can buy them and start getting up to scratch.

I'd go with the reference manuals from the very start. Perhaps another
book, if it get you to where you want to go. And quit possibly one of the
better online tutorials, supported by the reference books. This advice for
any language. This minimizes the damage done by the many rush-to-market
garbage that claims to be books about computers... it can be ~very~ hard
work unlearning misinformation.

The best books to learn are the ones that match your personal learning style.

You learn a program language by writing programs. And reading others'
programs. And writing more... and more... and more.

Safe computing,  /Harold

ps. I'd suggest learning Perl, as a tool in its own right, as a prototyping
tool, and as a way of thinking.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Harold A. Driscoll                 mailto:Harold(at)Driscoll.Chi.IL.US
#include <std/disclaimer>                 http://Driscoll.Chi.IL.US

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