Chapter 21
Ten Sets of Web Links
In This Chapter
Finding resources from Oracle
Getting sample code
Reading the latest Java news
Moving up — jobs, certification, and more
Finding out about other useful technologies and languages
This chapter has ten bundles of resources. Each bundle has websites for you to visit. Each website has resources to help you write programs more effectively.
The Horse’s Mouth
Oracle’s official website for Java is www.oracle.com/technetwork/java. This site has all the latest software for download. The site also has a great section with online tutorials and mini-courses. The tutorial/mini-course section’s web address is
www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/index-jsp-135888.html
In addition, Oracle has two special-purpose Java websites. Consumers of Java technology should visit www.java.com. Programmers and developers interested in sharing Java technology can go to www.java.net.
Finding News, Reviews, and Sample Code
The web has plenty of sites devoted exclusively to Java. Many of these sites feature reviews, links to other sites, and best of all, gobs of sample Java code. They may also offer free mailing lists that keep you informed of the latest Java developments. Here’s a brief list of such sites:
The JavaRanch: www.javaranch.com
Developer.com/Gamelan: www.developer.com/java
The Giant Java Tree: www.gjt.org
The Java Boutique: http://javaboutique.internet.com
FreewareJava.com: www.freewarejava.com
Java Shareware: www.javashareware.com
Improving Your Code with Tutorials
To find out more about Java, you can visit Oracle’s online training pages. Some other nice sets of tutorials are available at the following websites:
Richard Baldwin’s website: http://www.dickbaldwin.com
Java Beginner Tutorial: http://www.javabeginner.com
IBM developerWorks: www.ibm.com/developerworks/training
Finding Help on Newsgroups
Have a roadblock you just can’t get past? Try posting your question on an Internet newsgroup. Almost always, some friendly expert will post just the right reply.
With or without Java, you should definitely start exploring newsgroups. You can find thousands of newsgroups — groups on just about every conceivable topic. (Yes, there are more newsgroups than For Dummies titles!) To get started with newsgroups, visit http://groups.google.com. For postings specific to Java, look for the groups whose names begin with comp.lang.java. As a novice, you’ll probably find the following two groups to be the most useful:
http://comp.lang.java.programmer
Reading Documentation with Commentary
When programmers write documentation, they ask themselves questions and then answer those questions as best they can. But sometimes, they don’t ask themselves all the important questions. And often, they assume that the reader already knows certain things. If you’re a reader who doesn’t already know these things, you may be plain out of luck.
One way or another, all documentation omits some details. That’s why other peoples’ comments about the documentation can be so helpful. At www.jdocs.com, experienced Java programmers annotate existing Java documentation with their own comments. The comments include tips and tricks, but they also add useful pieces of information — pieces that the documentation’s original authors omitted. If you need help with an aspect of the Java API, this is a great website to visit.
Listen!
You can visit http://javaposse.com for all kinds of useful, up-to-the-minute information, but you can also listen to the Java Posse’s weekly podcasts. Since 2005, four Java gents have been podcasting news, commentary, and thoughtful discussion to Java professionals all over the world. In the tech community, The Java Posse is a venerable institution — a great source of facts and musings about Java-related issues.
Opinions and Advocacy
Java isn’t just techie stuff. The field has issues and opinions of all shapes and sizes. To find out more about them, visit any of these sites:
Oracle Blogs: http://blogs.oracle.com
JRoller: http://jroller.com
The java.blogs community: www.javablogs.com
The DZone at Javalobby: http://java.dzone.com
The list of blogs at No Fluff Just Stuff: www.nofluffjuststuff.com/blog/list
By the way, when you become proficient in Java, I highly recommend attending one of the No Fluff Just Stuff conferences. Each conference features advanced presentations by seasoned industry experts.
Looking for Java Jobs
Are you looking for work? Would you like to have an exciting, lucrative career as a computer programmer? If so, check the SkillMarket at http://mshiltonj. com/sm. This site has statistics on the demand for various technology areas. The site compares languages, databases, certifications, and more. Best of all, the site is updated every day.
For another take on the popularity of various programming languages, visit the TIOBE Programming Community Index at www.tiobe.com/index.php/content/paperinfo/tpci. The index’s monthly list rates the amount of buzz surrounding each language. Of course, as I check the site for inclusion in this chapter, Java is right on top.
After you’ve checked all the SkillMarket and Tiobe numbers, try visiting a website designed especially for computer job seekers. Point your web browser to http://java.computerwork.com.
Finding Out More about Other Programming Languages
It’s always good to widen your view. So to find out more about some languages other than Java, visit the Éric Lévénez site: www.levenez.com/lang. This site includes a cool chart that traces the genealogy of the world’s most popular programming languages. For other language lists, visit the following websites:
The Language List: http://people.ku.edu/~nkinners/LangList/Extras/langlist.htm
The Quine Page: www.nyx.net/~gthompso/quine.htm
Steinar Knutsen’s Language list page: http://home.nvg.org/~sk/lang/lang.html
Finally, for quick information about anything related to computing, visit http://foldoc.org — the Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing.
Everyone’s Favorite Sites
It’s true — these two sites aren’t devoted exclusively to Java. However, no geek-worthy list of resources would be complete without Slashdot and SourceForge.
Slashdot’s slogan, “News for nerds, stuff that matters,” says it all. At http://slashdot.org, you find news, reviews, and commentary on almost anything related to computing. There’s even a new word to describe a website that’s reviewed or discussed on the Slashdot site. When a site becomes overwhelmed with hits from Slashdot referrals, one says that the site has been slashdotted.
Although it’s not quite as high-profile, http://sourceforge.net is the place to look for open source software of any kind. The SourceForge repository contains more than 80,000 projects. At the SourceForge site, you can download software, read about works in process, contribute to existing projects, and even start a project of your own. SourceForge is a great site for programmers and developers at all levels of experience.