Re: How far back can we go?

Fritz Wuehler wrote:


r.

You obviously are a very serious about studying the Java language. Don't l=
et the sheer volume of information in this thread concern you. Most of us =
only know a useful subset of the language. In my answer I reached out to W=
ikipedia (link provided upthread) to supplement my recollection.

While programming I keep the Javadocs open in a window at all time, for eac=
h library in use. So for Android programming, by example, I'll have
<http://download.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/index.html>
(or the Java 6 version) and
<http://developer.android.com/reference/packages.html>
each open in a tab.

I frequently go back and reread books or online sources (yes, including the=
 tutorials), usually for specific issues but also in a more open-ended sear=
ch. I was taught to review the basics often. The Java newsgroups (mainly =
this one, comp.lang.java.help, and its sister, clj.programmer) are invaluab=
le. One just keeps studying throughout their career.

The thing is, you really will have a clue about most of this after a while.=
  You don't need complete expertise in every dark corner; just a good abili=
ty to find and understand references at will. (GIYF: Google Is Your Friend=
.. Really.)

And supplement your reading with practice. Write personal projects wheneve=
r you can, or at least code snippets. Nothing like putting together your o=
wn SSCCE
<http://sscce.org/>
say, to see what happens when an inner class inherits from its outer class =
and accesses a private member of that outer class instance. (This particul=
ar scenario helps teach you the weird interaction between inheritance and i=
nner-to-outer access.) (BTW, "inner class" is not the same precisely as "n=
ested class".)

All right, I really am not trying to scare you. Just pointing out that you=
 are on the right track and advising you to be patient yet diligent. Have =
fun learning.

--
Lew