I have started a java programing class at a local college. I have a little knowledge of HTML and I know java has a steep learning curve so I am looking for some help…Dose anyone know of any good books, websites, etc, that can help me understand java? Is there a easier programing language that I should start with (php, javascript, pearl)?
Any help or ideas would be appreciated.
Thank you.
The language does not matter much. The basics of programming don’t change with the language, only the syntax and some details. Once you know one language, learning another one is quite quick.
IMO Java is a good language for learning. My teacher used to say that in Java there are many things of which you can say “always” or “never” (such as “objects are always handled by reference”). Java protects the programmer by preventing direct memory access (unlike C) and memory management (garbage collector does that). Error handling and stack traces are good as well.
I believe the best way to learn programming is to go to a course like you (I never learnt it by just reading books). The most important thing is to do the exercises by yourself and play around with things.
The best thing you can do to learn is to mess around with the code you wrote, break it, fix it add new stuff, repeat. ;D
Best absolute newb book I’ve seen lately is “Headfirst Java”.
Get a good book. Start with understanding and modifying the programs in that book. Post your confusion points here for answers 
“What does this do” or “whats wrong with this” are good types of questions to post. So is “what does the book mean by,”
“How do I…” questions are probably best answered by your book first,. Make sure you dont already have the answer in thsoe pages before you bug folks.