Matthew Nelson

What language is Go similar to? Is the language growing or does it already have its defined purpose?

Thank you for that response! I have been a fan of the HeadFirst series of books. I own quite a few of them and even some of them I own in multiple formats. I honestly haven't heard of Kotlin before earlier today but it has intrigued me. I know I should pay more attention to new and emerging languages. I definitely look forward to trying my hand at this. Thanks again!

I have been back and forth with learning Java over the years. I was wondering the ease of learning if you only have a basic understanding of Java? When i went to school way back in the early 2000's, all the classes were in C++, then after graduating many of jobs in the area required Java experience. I started to try and pick it up and some of it seemed to translate from C++. I found a job in software QA and didn't need the coding experience but all these years later I want to open up my options.

I think picking a first language is relative to what you goal use is. You wouldn't learn R if you are looking to make video games. Java has a broad appeal to it and is applicable in a lot of places.

When I was in college in the early 2000's the language offering at my school was all C++ based. It was only in my last semester that they started to add Java courses. When I was looking for a job after graduating, everything was looking for Java and I had to learn it on the side to try to stay relevant. I didn't feel it was that difficult to apply what I already knew about C++ to Java

I think some languages like Java and C++ are similar and when you learn one you can kind of use that knowledge in the other. But some languages are a bit different and don't transfer over well (like Python). It is just like spoken languages where based on what you know, one language might be easier to learn than another because its structure is similar. As an English speaker, you will most likely have an easier time learning French or Spanish than Chinese or Japanese. Those languages are similar in structure and therefor you can apply what you already know to help you understand it faster than if you were learning something with a different structure.

Do you still think HFJ is useful with the latest Java version or an alternative should be found?

I was wondering this too. I still have an old copy of HFJ that seems so long ago. Has the language changed much over the years?

My main work is doing software QA but I have wanted to get involved in code for a long time. I do some work in web development and SQL.  I have many books on multiple languages but I mostly want to learn Python. I have at many points started to go through a intro book to Python but never manage to make it all the way through and beyond. What is the best advice from your experience that will help someone fully dive into the Python world(or any language at that)?

I have been around for some time but never fully jump into the Java world. I start to get into it but then get distracted by something else. Recently it has come to my realization that the best way to further my career and earning potential is to move from the testing world to the development world. The langue used here is Java so I want to get involved.

Is this book suitable for someone new to programming in Java? I have a few older books that i have started to go through but never completed. This book sounds good because I have always been good at reading code and breaking it down, just struggle with writing my own code.

My son who is currently 11 did a little Scratch programming a few years ago when trying some activities on code.org. Not sure how much he remembers of it but would this still be good for a kid who might have a little prior knowledge of the language?

I love all the Head First books I have read so far. I have been a software tester for longer then i want to count but have dreams of doing more in terms of actual development work. The last two places i have been have done a agile/scrum approach to software development. Would this book help me understand the other aspects of agile to help me get in the flow once I get a chance to start development work?

Hey guys,

I am still somewhat new to the Java world. I have been back and forth between learning Java and refreshing my C++ schooling. I am currently rereading the Head First Java and would also like to get involved in a simple project. Not sure if i can offer much help yet but if so i would gladly help.

I have tried it for the past few weeks and it has potential to be great. I think it has some good ideas. The problem is that a lot of people who are not computer people or techie will not switch because it took them a while to finally join facebook. Google has done some great things in its lifespan but social networking has always been its short coming (they did try it two times before with google wave and google buzz). I like to hope it because something. The "invite only" system is just being used to get interest into it. They want people to want it. As soon as more people get into it, it will get more attention.