Java is a computer programming language that was created in 1991 by James Gosling. It is similar to C/C++. It is currently used by thousands of online web-applications and many cell phones. Java is the language I am currently programming with at my work. I started out my own programming at about your own age with Basic. Later in High School worked with C and Pascal. In College I was introduced to Visual Basic, Delphi, and Java. When I graduated and started working as a programmer I used Oracle Forms and PL/SQL. The past three years I have worked primarily with Java and while it is quite a bit more complex than PL/SQL and Oracle Forms, it is much faster, easier to debug and more accepted around the world.
If you want to learn more about the history of Java search
To start, I've included a jump drive that includes JDK (Java Development Kit) 1.5 which can be downloaded from http://java.sun.com
Java is free. Also included is Eclipse which is the tool we use to write in Java. Think of it like this... Java is the language (like English),
and Eclipse is the tool we use to organize and create the programs. Eclipse is an IDE (stands for Integrated Development Environment).
Eclipse isn't a language. Its simply a program for writing the Java code, much like Microsoft word is simply a program for writing a letter.
There are several approaches to learning how to program. We could start with words and definitions that wouldn't really make sense until we get in
and start working on our program. So we'll skip trying to give you these words and definitions until we get there. Words without understand the real meanings
behind them don't make sense. This will be a hands on approach to programming concepts.
But if you are eager you can look at this site
for some key words and definitions.
At the very least we will pass off the requirements for the Computer Merit Badge. If you wish to continue learning and building we can do that. It would be
great if we had a collection of boys who collaborated enough to create a high quality educational program which could be donated to the Davis School district for
helping kids practice their spelling and math.
Some languages we plan to use over time include: Please email me at ggridley@gordongridley.us if you have any questions.