1. Introduction

From my experience, learning how to program (in typical computer science classes) can be very difficult for people. The curriculum tends to be boring, abstract, and unattached to “real world” coding. Due to how fast technology progresses, they tend to teach material that is very quickly dated and out-of-touch. I believe that teaching programming could be much simpler - and I hope this book reaches that goal.

1.1 Problem Solving

Before you learn to program, the task can seem rather daunting (much like looking at the redwood tree on the cover before you climb it). However, over time you will realize that programming is really about problem solving.

On your journey towards learning to code (as in much of life), you will encounter many obstacles. You may have heard it before, but it really is true: the path to success is to try, try, and try again. People who persevere the most tend to be the most successful people.

Programming is full of trial and error. Although things will get easier over time, you’ll never be right all the time. So, much like in everything in life, you need to be patient, diligent, and curious to be successful.

1.2 This Book

This book is organized into several chapters, starting from the most basic concepts. If you already understand a concept, you can safely move ahead to the next chapter. Although this book concentrates on Java, it will also refer to other languages such as Groovy, Scala, and JavaScript so you will have a deeper understanding of concepts common to all programming languages.

Tips If you see text stylized like this, it is extra information that you might find helpful.

Info Text stylized this way is usually a reference to additional information for the curious reader.

Warnings Texts like this are cautions for the wary reader - many have fallen on the path of computer programming.

Exercises This is an exercise. You shouldn’t see too many of these.