Coding resources

  1. get hold of the Java developer kit
    This can be found on most books about java, It originates from Sun Microsystems

    Because the java compiler is written in java, it can be run by anything that can run java. Netscape Navigator version 3 has an undocumented -java command line parameter that allows you to compile java without starting the browser. You will still need the java compiler classes, these are provided with the JDK. Click here for more details

  2. Get the API documentation
    This is an essential if you want to explore the Java classes in depth. It is a set of HTML documents and is provided separately from the JDK. Most books on Java will reproduce large chunks of this documentation. The originals can also be found at Sun Microsystems.

  3. Get a starter book For example "Java in a Nutshell, ICBM 1-56592-183-6" has an excellent introduction to Java. This is published by O'Reilly & Associates Inc. However this book hasn't enough detail to get you up to speed in writing full blown java applets. Stick with me for that.

  4. A good browser
    You dont need a browser to develop applets, but tutorial makes use of HTML features that some lesser browsers can't deal with. At the minimum you need Netscape Navigator version 2 or better. Microsoft Internet explorer will also do.

After the starter book on Java, the JDK API documentation was the next most useful. I found that I needed to have a copy of it visible all the time I was writing Java. It has a very good cross referenced index that, like me, you will find yousrself thumbing through at regular intervals.

After you have absorbed everything I know, you may want to use othe books and references. One book that should be given a wide berth is simply called "Java!"