15 replies to this topic

[blueizee]

as some of you guys know, i am destined to learn android development and was push towards Java...ive found links through XDA on learning and found some "Java Lesson" sites but i cant understand ANY of it, yes i am a beginner without a doubt but far from dumb....is there any easier way to learn this stuff, im getting very irritated now trying to learn all this and i dont want to give up....but i just cant find the right place to start...none of it is making any sense to me which means i wont learn a damn thing....the only thing i can do is operate my damn phone and flash roms and stuff...im tired of that and want to go SOOO much further, and understand all the terms you guys use...IM LOST!

[BytecodeMe]

Usually to learn a programming language it's best to either buy a book, take some classes, or find somebody who will teach you. I know some basic Java, but I unfortunately don't have the time, skill or interest to teach somebody what I know.
Hope I helped, I've been in the same situation as you.

[blueizee]

appreciate it...but i already kinda assumed all that, cant blame anyone i dont know to just take the time to teach me that stuff huh...and anyone i personally know, has not a clue about android period....they make me look like a genius....and on here im a complete idiot to this stuff, thats amazing isnt it

[T3hD0gg]

If you have never programmed before, there are a lot of new and challenging concepts that you will need to learn. I only somewhat recently realized this after giving help to friends that these concepts may not be the easiest to understand or even explain.

The two biggest things you'll need to do is be persistent and patient. You can't let yourself get irritated. Try to read a few paragraphs of a tutorial or pages of a book and if you're having trouble or it's just not making sense, put it down for a day or two and come back to it later. It may make more sense then when your subconscious has had some time to process it. The one thing that I remember I had trouble comprehending was pointers in C/C++. I couldn't comprehend the concept of one piece of data being a "pointer" or reference to another and how this allowed me to manipulate said data. The syntax seemed like a huge pain in the rear end. But I just kept at it. I wanted to learn it. Eventually, I understood it. I kept on working through it in my head. Now it's something that's incredibly easy for me.


If you have the dedication to learn something, you'll learn it. Just be persistent and patient...

I would suggest buying a beginner programmer book, not necessarily in Java. Something that can help introduce to you the core concepts of programming. Then you can move on to Java and eventually Android books.

[dmlsthe1]

This is awesome information thank you! I've been in the same boat as you blue. Feeling like the expert and idiot at the same time, who woulda thunk. But anyway....i remember reading some time ago that, don't quote me on this cuz i could be remembering incorrectly, there was a coding language that was going extinct. Acknowledging that, which is a good first language to start off but that's at beginner/entry level. would C/C++ be a good place to start?

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[uberbdon]

Assuming you're in the states I'd recommend shelling out some cash and taking a few community college courses.

[ibolski]

My programming experience was self-taught. Some people can do that. To this day, as a professional programmer, I still self-teach myself a lot.

In the end, even after you read a book, or a take a class or training course, in the end, you'll learn the concepts which may seem simple enough. But, when it comes time to apply them, you may find it frustrating at first. But, making mistakes, debugging your code, etc is the one true way to learn it. You learn from your mistakes and your more apt to remember NOT to do it the way you tried, as well as remembering how you solved the problem.

Programming is problem solving, period. So, if you get easily frustrated, programming may not be the thing for some people. But, if you're persistent and love to solve problems, then programming is a definite possibility.

Find an entry-level java programming book or course first. Learn that first, try some programming and get familiar with it before you even begin to tackle Android programming. There are a LOT of different concepts that you need to understand with Android programming and to try and learn java programming and Android programming at the same time might be overwhelming.Besides, most Android programming books/tutorials assume you already know Java programming or some other type of Object Oriented programming.

Search on Amazon.com. There are a lot of good Java entry-level programming books there.

There really isn't any one good way to learn. It's trial and error and trying things over and over again. You can read a book all you want, but if that's ALL you do, you might find it harder. What I suggest is find a book with example working programs. Type them in, compile them and then go in and start experimenting with them. Try to understand exactly what "makes it tick". Come up with some things you might want to make it do and see what happens. Change the examples. In the end, don't just type them in, see if it works and then move on. Dig into the source code and understand exactly how it works.

That's my best advice on learning how to program in a language.

[DCarrollUSMC]

Just to echo what many have already said, it is best to learn programming through a course at a local college or by an accredited professional. If you are interested in reading up on programming there are plenty of books out at Barnes and Noble or any other bookstore. What you should be looking for is a beginning course in Object Oriented Programming, OOP. Many books that you will find on android programming assume prior knowledge.

[Rycix]

as some of you guys know, i am destined to learn android development and was push towards Java...ive found links through XDA on learning and found some "Java Lesson" sites but i cant understand ANY of it, yes i am a beginner without a doubt but far from dumb....is there any easier way to learn this stuff, im getting very irritated now trying to learn all this and i dont want to give up....but i just cant find the right place to start...none of it is making any sense to me which means i wont learn a damn thing....the only thing i can do is operate my damn phone and flash roms and stuff...im tired of that and want to go SOOO much further, and understand all the terms you guys use...IM LOST!

Along the same lines as other people, I'd recommend a class. Make sure you stay up with the class - if you fall behind it's really hard to get back. I took AP Computer Science in Java, and it's been pretty helpful, and I've definitely been in the same boat as you, basically swearing at the computer in frustration. Be aware that, unless you take a class specializing in both java AND android/applications, you're going to have to do extra work and find more things out to get anything really happening. I "started" an application then I realized that Android Apps are a good bit different from just writing the code and running it on the computer. Definitely stick with it and work on things in your spare time.

[tucstwo]

Search YouTube for java basics would help. I learned some basic stuff about programming android apps in eclipse through YouTube. Getting your java environment and dev tools set up. All that. YouTube man, it did help a lot.

[HouseMD]

I'm just going to chime in...I learned some C++ in the beginning through college courses and stopped before I got to Java.

So, do what everyone else is telling you, and Hicks is right about asking for help here. No dev is going to teach you java here, it's way too complex. Unless..you know...you pay me about $1200. Then I'll teach you.

[sgtguthrie]

Look up "TheNewBoston" YouTube channel. Or just Google for the website. I think it's www.thenewboston.com. There you will find TONS of programming video tutorials for free. If you're looking into app development start with the plain java tutorials for a base. Then they have a series for Android app development. I'm working on the java now myself as I find time. I'm finding these tutorials easy to follow, and very informative. I highly recommend them! Good luck!

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[JMSexton]

I don't know about Java for Android specific development but

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is a great resource for learning all sorts of code including XML which is used by android.

Also

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is a great Java tutorial directly from Oracle, the company that created Java. Also keep in mind that Java and JavaScript are two totally different languages.

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[sgtguthrie]

...directly from Oracle, the company that created Java...

Sent telepathically from my Droid X... I mean Razr Maxx

Actually Oracle didn't create java, Sun Microsystems did then was bought out by Oracle... Just fyi ;-)

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[mattfox27]

Trial and error...Patience...