Tuesday, July 19, 2011 5 comments

Lynda.Com Finally Has Android Tutorials!!!!

 


Ive been waiting for some time for lynda.com to pop out some Android tutorials and there finally here!!!Im watching them as I type this and will be writing a review in the next week to let you guys know if there any good put out the $$$$ for a subscription. If you haven't heard of lynda.com than your more of a newb than you've probably been living under a rock for the last decade or so. Lynda.com is a payed tutorial site, for $25 a month they will give you access to a MASSIVE database of tutorial formatted into short videos for all of us ADHD people. For a extra 5 bucks or something like that they'll even give you all the exercise files.
Monday, July 18, 2011 2 comments

CHALLENGE: Intermediate Java Tut's 4&5

The following is a challenge for new developers that have completed:
Intermediate Java Tutorial - 4&5 -Collections & arrayLists by theNewBoston



Legendary Challenge: 
Difficulty: ★ 1/2

Create two arrayLists, the first array must have 5 unique strings and the second array must consist of only the last 2 strings from the first array.Then create a method that will iterate through the first arrayList and filter out any strings that are also in the second array. Print your results.

Legendary Challenges consist of only a very broad description of the challenge making them a little harder.The end results should still be the same as the regular challenge.

CHALLENGE 
 Difficulty:
1. Create a String array named "things" containing the strings "eggs", "lasers","hats" and "pie"
2. Create a new ArrayList named "list1"
3. Create a For loop that adds the items from the array "things" to "list1"
4. Create a String array named "things2" containing only the strings "lasers" & "hats" 
5. Create a new ArrayList named "list2"
6. Create a For loop that adds the items from the array "things2" to "list2"
7.Print all the strings in list1 one using a for loop

End of Tut 4/Start of Tut 5

8.Create a method a called editList that uses two collection parameters and names them "A1" and "A2"
(to make it less confusing just remember that in a later step we will call the editList method and use "list1" & "list2" as parameters) 

9. Inside the editList method loop through each string in "A1" and make sure none of the strings are the same as any of the strings in "A2" 

10.If any of the strings from "A1" do match any of the strings from "A2" delete the string from "A1"

11.Call the editList method using "list1" & "list2" as parameters

12.Print a blank line

13.Print each of the strings in list1 using a for loop 

Note: Please keep in mind this blog is a work in progress and ive learned quickly that teaching is alot harder than just following along . If something is explained poorly or you have a suggestion to reword a step please leave a comment below so we can make this the best resource possible for up and coming developers.


View the video tutorial: http://youtu.be/jU5ACV5MucM
               Text walk-through of this tutorial: Coming Soon!!!


2 comments

CHALLENGE:Intermediate Java Tut 6-LinkedList

The following is a challenge for new developers that have completed:
Intermediate Java Tutorial - 6 -LinkedList by theNewBoston
 

CHALLENGE!!
(Before starting any of the challenges always declare a class and a main method unless told otherwise)
 Difficulty:
1. Create a String array named "things" with 5 items.
2. Create a new LinkedList named "list1"
3. Create a For loop that adds the items from the array "things" to "list1"
4.Create a String array named "things2" with 4 items.
5.Create a new LinkedList named "list2"
6.Create a For loop that adds the items from the array "things2" to "list2"
7. add all the items on list2 to list1
8.Set list2 to null

View the video tutorial: http://youtu.be/BRcY2vIr-EQ
Text walkthrough of this tutorial: Coming Soon!!!
Thursday, July 14, 2011 0 comments

1 POST+ 5 DAYS = 500 HITS!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!



I checked the traffic today and I was amazed.3D(Droid Dev Dictionary) has got a 500 hits in less than a week...that's pretty amazing to me considering we only have 1 POST SO FAR!!!!! So I just wanted to thank everyone and confirm that there will be alot more to come . I dont want to make goals I might not be able to keep so im going to start with posting one quality list post every weekend but, if  I get some extra time I could post something extra here and there durring the week.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 20 comments

Dr.Java -Simple IDE for Learning Java



A lot of people these days are getting into development just to develop Android apps, which. Is great because more developers means more great learning resources poping up but, before you can code with the best of them your going to have to learn java. Eventually your probably going to end up using Eclipse (the recommended IDE for android) but, learning the ins and outs of eclipse is a task by itself. Trying to jum right into Eclipse while trying to learn java at the same time would be like having no musical background and tying to dj with the top of the line equipment. Dr.Java is a stripped down ide with just the essentials so you can focus your time on the java syntax.Best of all,its lightweight and.....ITS FREE!!!
  
Download Dr.Java :HERE

Sunday, July 10, 2011 610 comments

Top 5 Resources for Learning Java for Android



Learning to make Android apps is alot like saying " I wanna learn how to write novels in Spanish"  You cant just start writing novels in Spanish if Spanish  isn't your primary language. First you learn the language(java) then after alot of practice you start to catch on to the grammar(syntax) and start to make connections and form sentences. Finally you start to see the big picture of the language and with time your able to write with some sense of style so you can finally write that Spanish novel.(your Android app)

We dont ask for donations but, if you found this post helpful and want to see more please give +k in Java or Android Via: http://klout.com/Fresh83

Learning java for Android can seem overwhelming . You have to learn this completely foreign language before you can even start to get to the good stuff(working on apps) not only that but, the java language is HUGE!!! Where do you start? What do you need to know? whats irrelevant to you as a android developer?Below are 5 of my favorite resources for building a strong foundation in java.

I.Programming Methodology- Stanford



If your new to Java or development in general this is a priceless web gem.I would dare to say that Mehran Sahami is the best professor ive ever learned from. You can tell the man puts real work into his lessons and does all he can to make java more interesting than it really is. The course is great because it requires no prerequisite programming skills but, does require some level of patience(there is around 30 hours of content from start to finish separated into hour long lectures.It may not be the quickest way to learn java overnight but, your getting something more than someone telling you to cut this and paste this. Its called programming methodology because its aimed to teach you the top down mindset of a developer from the start.The entire course is online via youtube and also comes complete with full class documentation and homework assignments(dont skip them , they may be challenging, but you will thank me after you complete them.




II.MobileTutsPlus-Learning Java for Android



If you have development experience in another language and just need a crash course in the java for android this is the tutorial series for you. This series gets right to the meat and potato's with little to no filler.Another thing I really like about this tut series is it mixes in what they call "challenges" where they ask you to do something based on what youve learned in the previous tutorials without just giving you the answer. This is great because it makes what your reading stick to you.





Ahh the good ol' java trails . Java trails aim to be the master resource for learning java by oracle(the company that owns java) Thinking back what really stuck to me from these tutorials was a overall understanding of OOP. There is literally 1000s of pages on literally everything you could ever want to know about java around here but, in my personal opinion they can be a little dry. Its a good tutorial series to have bookmarked if you want to learn about something specific but, I wouldn't spend weeks trying to read over them from start to finish. There is not enough actual tutorials and things will start to blend together in your mind if your not actually practicing what your learning about.




IV.Head First Java-Java for the right brained ADHD Developer 



Head first is a unique book series that accounts for the way the human brain learns best. The books are easy to read and packed with humor, pictures and analogy's that make sense to those of us who don't think in 1's and 0's naturally.The downside is this is not a free series unless your lucky enough to know a pirate....and did i mention torrents are illegal ( I hope someone got that)







If youve typed in "Java Tutorials" on youtube you've probably heard my boy Bucky keeping it real and spitting knowledge to all you java newbs out there.This guy is Java Juggernaut. His beginner series alone has 87 videos and there all quality. If that wasn't enough he also did a intermediate series that probably has another 80(I haven't finished them all yet myself) This guy has the learning java via youtube market under lock and key and hes one guy doing this stuff from home!!! His tutorials are short(very few exceeding 10 minutes), sweet and casual which makes them easy on the ears.I give big props to this guy and you should to.If you watch 10 or more of these tutorials I would highly recommend donating a few buck's to encourage people to do stuff like this out of the kindness of there hearts.


 
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