RE: Java Resources?

Jared,
The primary advice I can offer, as you enter the world of object
oriented programming, is something my college adviser in computer
science told me a long time ago. Spend the time up front to learn the
fundamentals and the rest will come much easier. When I first learned
java, I came from a background of 12+ years working with languages such
as COBOL, C, and REXX. It took a little while to get down the idea of
thinking of programs in terms of objects. Take the time to learn the
fundamentals of OO, such as inheritance, polymorphism, and encapsulation
and what they "really" mean in terms of constructing a program or
project. Once you get down the principles, the specific language, such
as java, ruby, C#, etc., becomes a matter of learning the syntax of how
to apply those principles in a given language. I've seen way too many so
called "experienced" java programmers with code that still looks like it
was just  converted COBOL code. 

Another reason to concentrate on the principles of OO and understand
them well is the emerging emphasis on a system architecture approach
known as service oriented architecture or SOA. SOA takes many of the OO
programming ideas you will learn, such as encapsulation and loose
coupling, and applies those principles to services (that is autonomous
peaces of business functionality and composites of those basic services)
instead of just programs. Like object oriented programming, SOA, is a
way of thinking and not just a bunch of applications put together as web
services. Your grasp of OO programming will serve you well if you get it
down now in both the areas of programming languages and system
architectures. 

As for your being a Window-Eyes user, I have been told by the good folks
over at GW Micro that java support is coming in a future release;
however, as it stands today, you may have some obstacles when it comes
to working with java's primary GUI interface called swing. As long as
your class is spending time on using java as the back-end of web
applications (such as JSP, java server faces, and servlets) or if you
get into using the GUI interface called SWT, you'll likely be okay. But
when you start using swing, Window-Eyes 6.1 will not read the screens. I
don't have a timeframe on when java support will be available in
Window-Eyes (I've asked to be a beta tester). I've recently revived my
own java based screen reader which I hadn't worked on for a couple of
years seriously. I've still got some work to do and am looking forward
to comparing notes with Sina on some similar work; however, my screen
reader works exactly the same under JAWS, Window-Eyes, and System
Access. I hope to release a beta version of the screen reader, along
with version 1.0 of the SSIP voice server, within the next couple of
weeks.

Good luck on your studies and we look forward to hearing of your
progress. 

-----Original Message-----
From: programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:programmingblind-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jared Wright
Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2007 12:26 AM
To: programmingblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Java Resources?

Hi Everyone, Next semester I start a course on object oriented 
programming with Java as its instructional language. Probably high time 
I get familiar with it anyhow. I've grabbed all of Jamal's Java 
documentation from Inthin's page and wanted to check for any tips or 
resources you all might have on working with Java, either generally or 
as relates the accessibility puzzle. Given the wealth of information in 
Jamal's archive, I'll also welcome any feedback on what you consider the

most effective learning resources, either in his archive or otherwise. 
For context's sake, I am a Window Eyes user and am not yet all that 
efficient in Linux, but it is another one of my current persistent 
projects, so if there are any resources that are head and shoulders 
above anything else and not on Windows, I'm open to giving it a shot. 
Definitley more at home on Windows still though. Thanks in advance for 
any responses, which I do look forward to reading.

Best,
Jared
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