It really depends on what kind of person you are. Do you feel comfortable with the logical aspect of programming and with the Java syntax? In that case I would probably recommend you to start reading small code snippets from other small programs and try to implement variations of them in to your on methods etc.

If you feel that you want to get more efficient in your coding and learn everything between (System.out.println(a+b);) and advanced ArrayLists with multiple loops etc. I would REALLY recommend http://www.codingbat.com. This website has it all! (And if you're boored you can always learn the same basics in Python while on the website!)

This is how I learned Java, and no wI am really good with it!

- I watched thenewboston videos online, but every time I had a question, I googled it. StackOverflow.com helped had various answers!
- When I was confident I had the basics down, I went on and learned the some Craftbukkit API. This expanded my knowledge on game desigining.
- I then watched thenewboston Intermediate Java tutorials, BUT I learned so much from the Craftbukkit API that the tutorials didn't really help me.
- I then learned the LWJGL Game Library, a Java Library which is designed to help with the creation of games. This concluded my general knowledge of games.
- To rap up everything, I watched thenewthinktank (http://www.youtube.com/derekbanas) refactoring tutorials. They are really helpful! He is soon going to start a new series entitled "Code Algorithms," which should also help with various ideas.

I am now very skilled in Java and I am capable of making my own games. Currently, I develope Craftbukkit plugins! They are fun !



Edit: I also watched a few CodeAcademy videos, but I prefer thenewboston for the most part!

CODEACADEMY

TheNewBoston is the best. Use his tutorials, becuse they are just so amazing =)

Bugs_eI am learning java myself, im at a basic level as of now. I have watch many tutorials on youtube, and read many online books. They say the best way to learn is to play around with code.

My method:
-learn the basic java syntax(how things should be formatted in java).
-learn the hello world program by memory(as in know it like your phone number).
-then make a simple calculator (make it add 2 numbers together, and display the output).
-then make the same calculator, except use a scanner to get user input for the numbers they will add.

It sounds lame but its a good way to get your feet in the water, and easy to do . I also test myself by making a sheet of java terms and reviewing them daily. I have had no programming experience prior to teaching myself java, and its been going pretty good. If you want to look at code samples, look at them from programmers with a good reputation so you get good habits.

No it does not sound lame. People should not expect to be able to start programming on an MC mod or a game right from the get go. Fully agree with this.

Get eclipse:

http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/

Read a lot of tutorials:

http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/

Find some example code, and mess around with that. Create some useless programs just to get a hold of the language and gain experience.

Syphenwww.w3schools.com/ ??

That site teaches you javascript not java

http://www.w3schools.com/ ??

Here is what I use and I think it the best: http://www.codecademy.com

This is a good websites for beginners http://thenewboston.org/list.php?cat=31

I am learning java myself, im at a basic level as of now. I have watch many tutorials on youtube, and read many online books. They say the best way to learn is to play around with code.

My method:
-learn the basic java syntax(how things should be formatted in java).
-learn the hello world program by memory(as in know it like your phone number).
-then make a simple calculator (make it add 2 numbers together, and display the output).
-then make the same calculator, except use a scanner to get user input for the numbers they will add.

It sounds lame but its a good way to get your feet in the water, and easy to do . I also test myself by making a sheet of java terms and reviewing them daily. I have had no programming experience prior to teaching myself java, and its been going pretty good. If you want to look at code samples, look at them from programmers with a good reputation so you get good habits.

What's a good website to start on?

I'm going to be learning Java this year in College, my Computer Science teacher has her own website with some tutorials on it - but I would recommend checking out the Google. It's a very universally used language, there's bound to be tutorials all over the web.

I'd definitely recommend having some prior programming experience first, even if it's just basic scripting to get the idea of syntax and structure. =)

I want to learn java too