Is it ok to introduce one's self?

[Cole Walker]

I sure hope so or I'll get kicked off on my first post! Santa brought me "Head First Java" and following the book's instructions I'm taking my first break. I might be biting off more than I can chew, and at first I'll only be able ask questions. Hopefully, if I keep at it I'll get to the point where I can answer some questions too! Supposedly parts of my brain don't work right and maybe they never will. Shed no tears for me, but please allow me an occasional "mulligan" if I ask a dumb question. I moved down south for the weather and managed to get struck by lightning..ouch! Go figure! In an earlier life I was an AS400 programmer. The experts tell me nerve damage by lightning is permanent but that doesn't mean I can't learn this. I already know I can get a job if I can learn to use Java to write business queries against a cluster of SQL servers. I might be damaged by the lightning but can still think and sit at my pc by myself! That's what I aim to do! If this first post of mine is poor form please forgive me! No more vanity I promise. I'm taking my first few steps of this journey and I refuse to give up!!! Enough break time already...back to my book!

[Henry Wong]

Welcome to the JavaRanch.

Henry

[Jesper de Jong]

Welcome to JavaRanch!

Enjoy learning Java, and if you have questions, please ask them here in the forums.

[Cole Walker]

Thanks for the welcome! I'm breaking the book's rules already by running the "Party at Tim's" program. Thank You again!

[Mohamed Sanaulla]

Welcome to JavaRanch And you have started off with the right book. Enjoy learning. (Surely Head First is going to make it enjoyable for you )

[Adam Richards]

Good luck learning Java, & don't feel self conscious about "dumb" questions. We see plenty of questions where one might wonder if the poster has been struck by lightning! I've fallen into that category from time to time myself.

[Cole Walker]

Thanks Adam! I keep popping over here to the Ranch to search particular questions I have. Not sure if I'm going about this the right way...but this is what I'm doing. Though I don't fully understand all the "mechanics" I've completed the "99 bottles of beer" and the "Beer Song" exercises from Head First. I managed to get them to work - and that gives me encouragement to keep going. What I intend to do is read through the book and complete the exercises until they work (even though I might not understand it all) and then re-read the book (and try my best to finish all the puzzles) when I'm done.

Since my duties at my prospective job would be rather narrow when compared to Java's capabilities I would be less reluctant to impose myself for instructions on who would be my boss after reading through the book twice. He says it is rather repetitive (writing programs that run queries) with the deliverable to the client being Excel spreadsheets. I've watched him work using Eclipse and he sure makes it look easy having twenty years of programming experience under his belt! Right now I'm using Notepad++. If I see exactly what he's doing then I think I can narrow down what I need to learn. Make sense?

There is a college not far from me that offers Java courses. It opens back up Jan. 3 and I will call. Probably too expensive for my budget but I'm going to find out how much they cost.

That's my rant for the day. Now it's on to "arrays". I'm glad I found this site! Great atmosphere and very helpful! Thanks!

[Adeiza Yusuf]

Hello Walker, welcome to javaranch, the ranch is indeed a peaceful and friendly place to be and we are all here to learn. I wish you all the best

[Cole Walker]

Hi Adeiza, thanks for the warm welcome. I find myself poking around more and more on the Ranch. This place is loaded! I have to confess I feel a little overwhelmed right now. Not sure if I made a mistake but I just ordered the Head First Introduction to Programming (Python). From quite a few comments I've read here I think it will help me understand some of the concepts I'm having trouble with. Just have to go slow, avoid getting frustrated, and keep my expectations within reason. Best Wishes!

[Andrew Monkhouse]

Hey Cole, welcome to CodeRanch.

The AS/400 huh? I haven't touched one of those since the 90s, and that was doing RPG programming. But I understand that IBM had a version of Java for the AS/400.

Good luck!

[Paul Clapham]

Andrew Monkhouse wrote:The AS/400 huh? I haven't touched one of those since the 90s, and that was doing RPG programming. But I understand that IBM had a version of Java for the AS/400.

Still does. It hasn't been called "AS/400" since the 90s either, but it's still going strong. It's the primary target for a lot of the Java programming I do.

[Cole Walker]

I used to have a lot of fun back then. One box with about 500 users doing their best to knock the system out. Always seemed to perform flawlessly..although I must admit I wasn't very fond of the giant IBM tractor feed line printers at month-end!

My Java learning strategy changes like the wind. Last night I decided to take Head First into bed and start from the beginning again. I'm no longer skipping past the exercises I don't understand. For me, that's dumb and doesn't make sense. Keep working on them until they run properly and experiment with changes. If you don't you almost default to being completely lost in the next chapter. Some of the changes I made to the applets are ridiculous but it's actually fun. Another thing the book recommends is talking aloud while doing the exercises and puzzles. Now even my dogs think I'm nuts!

Happy New Year All!

[Campbell Ritchie]

Cole Walker wrote:. . . Some of the changes I made to the applets are ridiculous . . .

Nothing ridiculous about that; you learn best by making such changes. Short of deleting system files, there is hardly anything you can do which won't help you learn.

Happy New Year All!

Thank you