Alright Lynda.com is not a good resource for learning Java programming. It's YouTube all over again, though admittedly the introduction level stuff was way better than I've seen elsewhere. The problem is, once you get past those, there's almost literally nothing. I have no idea how I seemed to be looking at so many video options for Java specifically when I signed up, and now have nothing left to watch without skipping to the handful (literally, can be counted on one hand) advanced tutorials. There was actually one more video I tried to start, but he immediately has you install some other things to try out a variety of ways to use Java- which sounds great at first.
The issue was, it amounted to installing things that I couldn't even name a purpose for, just as an accessory to the cause of Java experimentation. Where it fell apart for me really was that, while I could see that one of these programs, WAMP, appears to be a kind of server testing environment for the computer, I haven't begun to even think about developing for such a purpose. Still, given the quality up to that point, I went along with it in the hopes it would contribute to something useful.
If spending hours scouring the internet for how to make WAMP work, which ultimately only leads into an entire world that I just can't even pretend to comprehend any better than I would a night drinking with a rowdy crew of German soccer hooligans. I'm a little blown away that the most recommended "next" (and apparently last) video for me jumped straight from some pretty early level java language stuff into... that. I mean, props to me and all, I did manage to figure out what to do when this program I don't understand at all wasn't operating like his was. Then, when I followed his suggestion to set a password for it, and it proceeded to insist that I wasn't allowed in anymore because my computer wasn't supplying the password (though no apparent prompt for me to enter one) I even found a solution that entailed finding certain details in the config files that got me past that. Then, just when it looked like I was up and running, after hours of pulling out what precious little hair I have left, it just appeared to die completely. Naturally, this is probably the result of some idiot (me) fumbling around in the config files to some extent, but hey it did work- briefly.
So... cancelling Lynda.com subscription. Even for what some users claimed was its best feature, keeping up-to-date with the ever changing technologies of your field, well I only saw a couple of advanced Java videos anyway (and am of the conspiracy-theorist's opinion that pre-subscription there must be a "prop" page full of non-existent videos or something).
Back to the only thing that hasn't really let me down too completely yet, the official Oracle documentation. It's a bit harder from a beginner stand-point, leads to a great deal of searching around for explanations on things, that put one at risk of finding feasible-sounding misinformation, but it's there and nothing has managed yet to teach me more than it has. Slow and steady wins the race, after all...
But still. 21st century 'Murica here. If someone's willing to pay a little for a subscription, there should be at least SOME kind of option that fits the bill. If, one day, I hear that Lynda.com expands their selection by at least a couple dozen videos spread out nicely to bridge the gap between "what's a computer" and "okay, I know some syntax and how to think logically now, what's next?"
Final note, kind of a disclaimer. I don't genuinely feel the internet community owes it to anyone to give this knowledge away, even at a low price. I know there's a good reason some of those programs cost much more, and that's because (some of them) provide real quality. I just get frustrated when I let myself get sucked into something, thinking it's one thing, but getting another. I do feel reasonably confident I should have been even more attentive when considering Lynda.com to begin with, and I mean it wasn't even a complete waste as I did gain some valuable knowledge from what little they do offer. I knew I was setting out on a difficult task when I started this to begin with, trying to learn this stuff with so little (effectively no) money to invest in getting a decent start. I guess if anything IS the actual point of all this, it's just that I felt like writing out some aggravation at another dead end in an endless sea of online "possibilities." As one with respect for reality, I knew it would be hard to get very far before I actually get to start school (which is later than I last posted, mostly due to getting out of the military later than I anticipated). Soon, I'll be able to look back on this and think, "Oh, I wrote on a blog back then?"
The issue was, it amounted to installing things that I couldn't even name a purpose for, just as an accessory to the cause of Java experimentation. Where it fell apart for me really was that, while I could see that one of these programs, WAMP, appears to be a kind of server testing environment for the computer, I haven't begun to even think about developing for such a purpose. Still, given the quality up to that point, I went along with it in the hopes it would contribute to something useful.
If spending hours scouring the internet for how to make WAMP work, which ultimately only leads into an entire world that I just can't even pretend to comprehend any better than I would a night drinking with a rowdy crew of German soccer hooligans. I'm a little blown away that the most recommended "next" (and apparently last) video for me jumped straight from some pretty early level java language stuff into... that. I mean, props to me and all, I did manage to figure out what to do when this program I don't understand at all wasn't operating like his was. Then, when I followed his suggestion to set a password for it, and it proceeded to insist that I wasn't allowed in anymore because my computer wasn't supplying the password (though no apparent prompt for me to enter one) I even found a solution that entailed finding certain details in the config files that got me past that. Then, just when it looked like I was up and running, after hours of pulling out what precious little hair I have left, it just appeared to die completely. Naturally, this is probably the result of some idiot (me) fumbling around in the config files to some extent, but hey it did work- briefly.
So... cancelling Lynda.com subscription. Even for what some users claimed was its best feature, keeping up-to-date with the ever changing technologies of your field, well I only saw a couple of advanced Java videos anyway (and am of the conspiracy-theorist's opinion that pre-subscription there must be a "prop" page full of non-existent videos or something).
Back to the only thing that hasn't really let me down too completely yet, the official Oracle documentation. It's a bit harder from a beginner stand-point, leads to a great deal of searching around for explanations on things, that put one at risk of finding feasible-sounding misinformation, but it's there and nothing has managed yet to teach me more than it has. Slow and steady wins the race, after all...
But still. 21st century 'Murica here. If someone's willing to pay a little for a subscription, there should be at least SOME kind of option that fits the bill. If, one day, I hear that Lynda.com expands their selection by at least a couple dozen videos spread out nicely to bridge the gap between "what's a computer" and "okay, I know some syntax and how to think logically now, what's next?"
Final note, kind of a disclaimer. I don't genuinely feel the internet community owes it to anyone to give this knowledge away, even at a low price. I know there's a good reason some of those programs cost much more, and that's because (some of them) provide real quality. I just get frustrated when I let myself get sucked into something, thinking it's one thing, but getting another. I do feel reasonably confident I should have been even more attentive when considering Lynda.com to begin with, and I mean it wasn't even a complete waste as I did gain some valuable knowledge from what little they do offer. I knew I was setting out on a difficult task when I started this to begin with, trying to learn this stuff with so little (effectively no) money to invest in getting a decent start. I guess if anything IS the actual point of all this, it's just that I felt like writing out some aggravation at another dead end in an endless sea of online "possibilities." As one with respect for reality, I knew it would be hard to get very far before I actually get to start school (which is later than I last posted, mostly due to getting out of the military later than I anticipated). Soon, I'll be able to look back on this and think, "Oh, I wrote on a blog back then?"
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