MAC MOHAN

Originally posted by Tony Collins:
SCJD is very useful as the use of patterns is required/promoted, whether the code is in Java/C++/Smalltalk etc doesn't relly make a difference. Don't get to hung up on technologies or API's, they come and go. IMO.
Tony

APIs do matter because a person takes the SCJD exam to prove his competency in coding a non-trivial app. in the Java language...If a person wants to focus on Patterns (independent of language) then that person should take up the Architect exam (SCEA for J2EE)...
The point I am making is that taking up the SCJD programming assignment will not help a person in the real world because the APIs which you use for coding the SCJD assignment (such as Swing, Threads, Sockets etc.) will NOT help that person in a "real world" J2EE project (which is what most Java projects are nowadays), as these APIs are of little use in a J2EE project...

There is some merit in Andr� Roodt's suggestion that possibly Sun can make the SCJP exam as the first part of a two-part exam where the first part can be the theoretical exam (as the SCJP exam at present) and the second part can be a solving a programming assignment (as the current SCJD ecam).
But there is a problem with the current SCJD programming assignment itself . The assignment expects the developer to be familiar with Java APIs such as Swing, Threading, RMI \ Socket Programming....
But Java has practically retreated from the desktop as Java is now predominantly a server side technology (J2EE)...
Therefore the knowledge gained by learning to code using the above mentioned APIs is practically useless in a live project situation as none of these APIs (Threading, Swing etc..) are particularly useful in a J2EE project (as Java projects nowadays are predominantly J2EE projects)...
So, the SCJD programming assignment should not be a "core Java" assignment
but instead be a "JSP / Servlets" assignment to increase its practical value...