Previously on CS399J...
This term marked the five year anniversary of CS399J. We
covered a ton of material and the students did really well. Let's
hear what they have to say.
- What do you wish you had known before taking this
course?
- Nothing, I think I was at the right skill level to get the most out
of it.
- I can't think of anything
- Some/any Java class or any intro CS class that used Java. I
did that.
- I think anything about multithreading (i.e. if I took an operating
systems class) would have made the topic less frightening.
- To read *all* the links regarding weekly assignment.
- Some fundamental idea about OOP
- /* No comment */ I really can't think of anything
- I could have saved some initial headache by understanding Java's
naming convention relative to package names, etc.
- The Swing API
- I had little experience programming with sockets and threads. The
notions of wait/notify are hard to grasp.
- To complete the first assignments in 1 week, not two. The later
assignments took a lot longer to complete than the earlier ones, too.
- More Java. (This is the first term I've coded in Java).
- Nothing, really.
- How fast paced the class is.
- Nothing, everything required was taught
- More knowledge about java programming would have been nice.
- What is the most important thing you have learned in
CS399J?
- Swing, even though mine were horrible
- The information about what's available in the standard libraries.
- EVERYTHING
- I think CS399J provided an excellent overview of hot to use Java to
tackle some very relevant programming concerns (i.e. XML, GUI
programming, sockets, and networking programing, multithreading).
- For me: Swing
- GUI and socket programming
- The most important thing is probably how to digest features about an
unfamiliar language. Also, I have learned the "program to the
interface" mantra more concretely.
- I am amazed at how comprehansive trhe support for so many real time
needs are included in Java.
- Learned some things about networking which had not been covered in
any other course I have taken even though I have almost graduated
- Java is a greadt language with many built in features that make it
quite powerful, but you have to know what you're doing. It's a bit
overwhelming because there are so many things you can do. I really
enjoyed learning this language because it feels really intuitive.
- Program to the interface! Also, how to use JUNit and Ant.
- Java APIs are the greatest tool in the world.
- GUI programming, networking, learned more about OOP in general
- The most important thing I learned was structure of the clas
hierarchy, and how that knowledge with the Javadocs can be used to
create almost any type of program.
- The advantages of OOP
- Two things tie for most important, the networking (server,
cleint programming) and GUI programming. I've been curious about
both for a long time. I think that no matter what, those three
projects should always be a part of the course.
- If you could give one piece of advice to someone taking this
course in the future, what would it be?
- Do your POA's
- Try to get ahead on the projects since they're all available at the
beginning of the term.
- Take any CS/programming class that uses Java.
- Make sure to read Whitlock's Javadoc and look at his sample code,
especially when attempthing things completely new to you; all
available on his website.
- Read *all* the links on the website
- Study and research more from outside of the class (maybe Java
tutorial from Sun)
- Ask questions and write unit tests for every program.
- Start early on the assignments and spend some time everyday on
them.
- Start the first project early, and continue to do so throughout the
course.
- Be sure to give this class enough time. Towards the end of the term
I was spending over 15 hours per project. Don't fall behind.
- Maybe to make sure they have more Java than the little you get in
CS202.
- Take his advice on what classes you shouldn't take while taking this
class.
- Start your programming assignments early
- Start early
- Be prepared to code a lot
- The advice I would give is to start reading about xml parsing
right away.
- What made you stay in this course?
- Desire to learn the in's and out's of Java. I also didn't want tot
take the handwriting course, so I had to maintain full time.
- I enjoyed the lectures, and the workload was very managible.
- Everything: I [heart] CS
- I didn't think there was a whole lot of interest the first couple of
weeks, but once the class got going we started ot delve into many
things I had not done before in any language and I appreciated that.
Also as part of MECOP, I saw many companies utilize XML and Java and
so I saw much relevance in what we were learning.
- To learn more and satisfy degree requirements
- A lot (in most things).
- I like Java, and the material is considerably more interesting than
that of "normal" CS classes.
- I learned so much every week. This was very reinforcing. It was
actually fun.
- I was forced to learn a lot about Java. I probably would not have
don this of my own volition.
- Dave, you're a good instructor and your enthusiasm for the material
helps sustain my interest. I also really like the language and
thought the projects were well thought out and not too big.
- Well, it's really fun, Java's super cool, and I feel like I'm
learning a lot.
- Cuz I'm stubborn (and I had a lot of time to work on homework)
- I like what I've learned and I need to satisfy an ECE CS elective
requirement.
- The subject is very interesting, and we covered such a large range
of information I wanted to learn as much as I could
- The usefulness of the projects and the amount of Java that was
covered.
- The lectures are entertaining, and java is a great language to
learn.
Still curious? There are lots more comments from previous terms.
David Whitlock