Time Travelers
By Al Williams
I've always been intrigued by the idea that everyone travels into the future
at the rate of one year per year. When you see a TV show about time travel,
it's really about traveling at a different speed or in a different direction
from the rest of us. However, some of us tend to get stuck in a certain time.
When some programmers switched to C, many others didn't. They were stuck
in time. When most programmers migrated to C++, quite a few stayed behind.
Now, the migration to Java is under way. Where are you? Are you writing Perl
scripts when you could be writing Java servlets? Are you in denial, thinking
Java is just a fad? Even if you've embraced Java, are you frozen with JDK
1.0, and not looking at the progress Java is making in many areas?
In this month's column, I'll take you on a brief tour of Java as it currently
exists and make some suggestions about how to get comfortable with today's
Java. If you haven't taken the Java plunge, or if you're just stuck in a Java
rut, you'll find some food for thought this month.
Getting Started
Are you still writing in C++, Perl, or Visual Basic? Even if you don't plan
to switch to Java, learning a new language can give you new ideas. And Java
certainly has enough momentum to qualify as a serious language -- always good
to list on your resume.
What's the best way to learn Java? That depends. There are many classes
you can take.
