From: Bill Kelly <billk@...>
Date: 2005-03-29T10:05:17+09:00
Subject: Re: Java for Rubyists

From: "Shalev NessAiver" <shalev@simplyphysics.com>
>
> I have been forced by the powers-that-be to learn Java.
> 
> Coming from Ruby, I am sure I will be going mad sometime in the near 
> future.

Probably so.  Just be thankful they aren't making you 
learn VB6.  ;)

> To prevent this looming insanity from taking hold, I send a plea t 
> fellow Ruby users.
> Is there some book out there somewhere that will teach Java without 
> making me go
> mad from comparing it to Ruby?
> 
> [As an added note, I am already well aware of OO concepts, as well as 
> knowing C/C++.
> Thus, the type of syntax and the concepts are already familiar to me.  
> I just need something
> that'll get me introduced to the peculiarities of this particular 
> language.]

The Java books I have are out-of-date.  I hear they may
have finally added generics to the language (ala C++ templates),
which would be nice.

Anyway, keep in mind that with Jython or JRuby you can at the
very least bring up an interpreter and experiment with the Java
class libraries in an interactive environment.

(Depending on how nosy the powers-that-be are, maybe you can
even write some of your Java code in JRuby  :)


Regards,

Bill