Welcome to Java

1. Welcome to Java

Welcome to this introductory Java course! I'm Jim, your instructor.

2. Your instructor - Jim White

With years of experience in software development and leadership at companies like Target and Dell and extensive experience in teaching, I'm here to guide you through your first steps with Java. Java is three decades old but is still one of the world's most widely used programming languages. I've been working with Java almost since its inception.

3. How will you learn?

You will learn Java through interactive exercises where you’ll have the chance to experiment, write, and run Java code. You learn by doing while receiving feedback on your work.

4. Who is this course for?

This course is designed for anyone who wants to learn Java, even beginners. If you already know Python or JavaScript, you might find Java's syntax a bit stricter and less intuitive. Java's additional structure provides flexibility and scalability, but it also comes with a steeper learning curve.

5. What is Java?

So, what exactly is Java? Java is used extensively; it is among the most popular programming languages globally. Its versatility makes it a top choice for web and large-scale business software.

6. Where is Java?

Companies like Google, Amazon, or Netflix rely on Java. Java is also the foundation of Android app development, making it essential for mobile developers.

7. Starting out

Now, let's take a look at a simple Java program.

8. Java organizes code into classes

In Java, code is organized into classes. For example, this program is inside a `class` called `WelcomeToJava`.

9. main method is the entry point

To run a Java program, we need a specific method called `public static void main(String[] args)`. Think of it as the entry point of our program - like the front door of our house! We'll learn more about this in the upcoming videos.

10. Printing out - how not to do it

Let's say we write “Hello Java!” in the code editor - what happens?

11. Printing out - how not to do it

An error! Java cannot automatically display results in contrast to other programming languages.

12. Printing out - the correct way

To see the message, we must explicitly tell Java to print it using the `System.out.println` statement. Note the required double quotes here.

13. Let's practice!

Now that you've got a glimpse of Java, let's practice!

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