Beginning Java

It has been a while since I started computer programming. The year was 1987 when in VII standard Computers were introduced as a subject. The course commenced with the origin of computers, leading on to the generations of computer, looking at the architecture and then moving on to BASIC language. My first project was creating a quadratic equation solver - with real roots ofcourse.

Over the next four years several complexities were added finally culminating in a project implementing a library book database involving random file access. A few years later I was introduced to FORTRAN and COBOL but did not learn much at school.

On entering the engineering school I had a course in FORTRAN programming. It was a foundation level course, held in foundation labs which had a few PC-ATs running FORTRAN 77, yes the format dependent version of FORTRAN! There was a problem sheet with I think 33 programs to me written during the entire year. The final examination was a hands-on followed by an oral exam... oh that was one experience but I will write about it sometime later! As far as I remember now most of the programs involved implementing unit conversions, Taylor series expansions and sorting. I do not remember creating any equation solvers at that stage simply because a course in numerical methods followed in the third year. Guess what, numerical methods was a purely theoretical course with no programming. It was at this stage I picked up C. Not because I missed it, purely because it was much talked about and if you knew anything about computers you would be programming in C. In the final year there was a CAD lab course and I relied mostly on Quick BASIC to get something done! When it came to plotting results it was mostly Grafer. MS-Office was available but Excel was looked upon as more business-oriented than engineering-oriented (didn't know what was coming!).

Then for my postgraduate study MATLAB was the only thing I believed in. Although during my final semester I started learning C++ I did not do much. On joining Infosys, I was in open systems and went through training in UNIX, C, Visual BASIC and ORACLE. But then on the projects I was a finite element analyst using chiefly commercial finite element programs. The meaningful coding that I did was in UNIX shell scripting, Visual BASIC and sometimes a mix of C/C++. I also scripted the commercial codes sometimes.

After so many years, I feel the urge to get into GUI based programming. I tried developing GUIs for my FORTRAN codes but have almost given up. Now I have picked up Java. What is the best way to learn Java and more importantly get it going to write some meaningful programs?

Perhaps a glimpse in the past might give an answer. I think I need to follow the process that I used when  I learnt BASIC. A step at a time, believing there are no other languages in the world. OK I will start with a quadratic equation solver!