What would be the best/easiest way to learn Java? Also this might sound stupid to ask this on a Java gaming forum but should I learn Java or Python?
This again ben? Java all the way and use a book/Bucky 
Haha sorry I am only asking this because I started learning then I was sick and got distracted and when I got back into it I got sick again and I forgot some stuff haha.
lol! Then just restart
Yeah I am going to start over on the head first java book I got a few weeks ago.
Best book ever! I found a copy at my local bookstore and started reading it a bit. It is very good!
I highly recommend buckys/TheNewBoston tutorials
http://www.thenewboston.com/?cat=36&pOpen=tutorial for the links. he has both beginner/intermediate and some basic game stuff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHIT5VkNrCg (bigger screen)
I much preferred it over books when I had first started. You don’t have to watch EVERY video all the time. In the beginning, I did. but as it moved on, I started to feel I was learning faster then the tutorials/videos.
The easiest way to learn anything is having fun, experiment, ask questions and don’t be afraid to ask noob questions, because you will learn a great deal of new stuff by just listening to the java vets here.
For your programming language question, it’s up to you. Just stick with the one you like, or learn em both if you can’t decide
Also, Bucky/Thenewboston is awesome for refreshing knowledge, for in depth studies i would recommend a book though, as someone already mentioned, Head first Java is one of the best, if not THE best.
Look at the excellent Java Tutorials
Some good sub-tutorials there:
Getting Started
Learning the language
This forum (JGO) has a long and good list of useful resources
I can also strongly recommend to read about vector geometry/linear algebra. It is extremely good to know when you implement all sorts of movement, rotations etc. in games.
I have a friend who is also vacillating between Python and Java. Both have many advances over previous languages, in terms of how they are designed. Python is more high-level, more often used at the scripting level? I’ve seen it also used for some cool graphics via “Processing” (one of the worst names for a language system), or as a way of running various audio/synth packages. There is less of an investment to learn it. But if you want to get into the nitty-gritty details, Java goes to a lower level, gets closer to the cpu of the two languages.
But if you jump in and get sick again, maybe it would be worth trying a switch to Python. :-\
IMHO, Java syntax is way nicer than Python’s.
In addition to the tutorials that krasse linked to, the best way to learn how to program is by programming! Work through the tutorials first, trying out all of the examples. When you’ve got a handle on the basics, either find a book that works through a few simple projects you’d be interested in (Killer Game Programming in Java comes to mind, but I don’t particularly love some of the suggestions in that book). Or better yet, come up with your own (simple) idea and go for it!
I have to agree. Just pick a direction and start walking. That’s how most of us get there. There is no magical book that you can download into your head and then suddenly be a perfect Java programmer. You just start walking and when you trip, get the fuck back up, dust yourself off, and keep slogging.
Bit late but this is something I deal with in the company I work for too, I like to share my experiences getting people to learn Java as quickly and effectively as possible
A good book is always the best start, but it is not enough. There is only one way to make the theory stick: practice it. In my opinion there is only one way that practice is going to help: it has to be fun.
So in the context of JGO and the Head First Java book that has been mentioned, create games and apps. Do a hangman game on the command line, do a memory game using Swing, create a simplified IRC chat program complete with the server. These exercises will teach you a lot and they are fun to do.
The game/app isn’t complete until you’ve shared it with people and got positive feedback on it. When you feel that glow in your stomach that you did something good (the most fun of the entire development experience IMO), then it is done.
You can also try the tutorials at http://env3d.org
It teaches Java programming in the context of writing 3d games.
The easiest way is to get a neural implant and then download the knowledge straight into your brainpan.
This.
Where do I sign up for this?
I learnt Java via the book Objects First with Java, and tbh it’s been the best programming book I’ve ever read. I’d say it’s only aimed at complete beginners, for example the for loop is around page 100, but it also covers most of Java (pretty sure only advanced generics is missing). The main point of the book is to turn you into a good OO programmer (whilst just happening to learn Java along the way), rather then to just go through language features. There is even a non-programming section in the last chapter, where you go through a simple methodology for designing a program before it’s built (the intention is to get you thinking about the problem rather then the code).
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I also second this. When I was at university, I was amazed at how many people failed to grasp the most basic bits of Java. The reason was simply because they never actually wrote any code, they just read through books. They would have very minor issues, where anyone who had been toying with Java for a week or two, would have easily solved.