Bazaar is so awesome that I’m not using it
After a couple of months of deliberation (read: laziness) I’ve decided to drop the idea of switching to Bazaar from Subversion. Bazaar is a gorgeous application and very powerful, but that’s the problem: it’s too complex for our needs. On the plus side I can use the Bazaar Explorer as a Subversion client!
Keith had the idea of making more frequent blog posts, but smaller – bigger than tweets but smaller than a novel. I like the idea and think it might keep me interested in blogging more than my old efforts.
Java Bootcamp: Day 4
So I’m behind, obviously. I started this chapter like two days ago maybe? Yesterday I spent ALL day working on various bits for a contracted app and got rather carried away. The almost-9-hour Skype call with Keith helped keep me focused, I think. So I didn’t study… but it wasn’t for naught!
Day 4: Lists, Logic and Loops
Today’s chapter focused on lists, logic and loops. Oh my! Surprise, considering the title. The thing that irritated me was what I learned about arrays. They’re very inflexible. Then I hear from friends about ArrayList, but alas – not in my book! Just an example of having to learn outside of a single source.
For loops are the same as I’m used to, as are while (and god forbid do) loops. Ternary operators are close, but better.
Another easy day, but considering everything else going on – that’s a wonderful thing.
Java Bootcamp: Days 2 & 3
Day 2: The ABCs of Programming
Another easy chapter, and this one doesn’t even have any exercises I wanted to do! This chapter provides a detailed look at the smaller building blocks of Java code, from data types to statements and expressions. Logical operators are introduced and arithmetic/string arithmetic are covered. Not much to say about this chapter other than it saved me from dying of boredom in class today. Har har.
And so we move right along to…
Day 3: Working with Objects
You’ll notice a recurring theme for awhile, I feel. Not much new here, sadly. I learned how to create a new instance of a class, the difference between and interaction with class and instance variables. Learned how to call class or instance methods (oh dot notation, how sexy ye be), nested method calls… All kinds of sexy shit. A very thorough rundown on object references was informative, makes much more sense than referencing in PHP honestly.
Casting and converting was fun, primitive data types was straightforward. Casting between objects (from one object to another or object to/from primitive type) was a bit more involved. Still a bit fuzzy on that but I’m sure we’ll cover it more later. It was nice to cover material I wasn’t really bored with.
But now I’m getting a headache. I think I’m going to give it a break for awhile, maybe read the next chapter in a bit.
Java Bootcamp: Day 1.5
Well, Day 1.5 was a wash. I wrote and ran the example applications from Day 1. Mom and her boyfriend stopped by and there went my evening.
I did get some work done on my PHP framework, though. That was good. Tomorrow during class and while Jordan is at work I’m totally grinding through this book.
Java Bootcamp: Day 1
So here’s my first attempt at daily learning. The book I’m using is Sam’s Teach Yourself Java in 21 Days (ISBN-13: 978067232943), mostly because it came highly recommended. The first day is kind’ve a “gimme”, but it’s actually a good read. The format I use today will be what I (loosely) stick to for the rest of my daily posts.
I’ve read through most of this book twice already, but I’ve slacked off in following along with the examples and actually giving it all of my attention, so I’m hoping that by forcing myself to post on here I can kind of “guilt” myself into not giving up on it. Feel free to harass me about updates if that’s your thing. But whatever, here goes.
Day 1: Getting Started with Java
This chapter focuses on the history of Java itself. Where it came from, what it was designed to do, some unique points about this language in particular. It covers a few things to look for in an IDE and then outlines what Object-Oriented Programming is. Considering what Java is, it goes into a lot of depth about objects, classes, instantiation and the like. Several pages are dedicated to this, covering attributes, behaviour, class creation, inheritance… You get the picture.
Sadly, my arm has been killing me from being too active today, so I haven’t created the example program used in the second half of the chapter, but I’m going to do that first thing in the morning just so I’ve covered all of my bases.
Tomorrow I finish what I couldn’t hit today, and start Day 2: The ABCs of Programming. Woot.
