Re: Java! hooah! What is is good for...?

I am thinking about learning to programme in Java. I have heard lots
of good stuff about it, but really all I get to read is what people
"think" potential developers want to know, rather than what they "do"
want to know. I see it's quite a robust, portable language, which
already is a good thing in my opinion. Being a Linux user, catering
for Windows users is not always easy. The ability to be able to write
one program, and have it work on any machine that can run a JVM, is a
serious break through for me.

I've done some C++ programming in the past, but I couldn't get into
it. This was back in my Windows days, and I started getting fed up
with how Windows worked, or rather didn't work, so I gave up.

I'd like to know just how useful Java will be to me. Can I make games
with it? By that, I mean just like you'd make using Flash, but
hopefully more secure. Can I use Ajax over multiple domains freely, or
are there restrictions? I am heavily into web development at the
moment, and I have seen lots of Java applets about, but they are quite
self contained and standalone. Can Java interact with a browser? I
like the thought of being able to integrate Java into my Web site.
There are lots of Ajax Web sites popping up all over the place these
days, and I'd like to use Java in the mix if it's possible to do so.
Is this possible, or am I expecting too much?

What's the learning curve likely to be for someone who did some basic C
++ a few years back, and has spent the last 2 years dealing with
JavaScript and PHP (which of course are both quite low level
languages).

I would appreciate any input you may have to offer on the subject. I
am quite excited of the prospect of using Java for just about
everything, but I just need to be sure that the effort I put into
learning it will be well worth it, and that I am not rushing head
first into something that might not benefit me.