Previously on CS399J...
We completed another successful round of CS399J: Advanced Java
Programming. Let's hear what the students had to say about
it.
- What do you wish you had known before taking this
course?
- Probably not a good idea to take with other CS classes since the
weekly workload is enough with just CS399J.
- Some Java experience would have been helpful, but not necessary to
succeed.
- I wish I had a better knowledge of Java APIs, since as time went
along and I learned more Java I learned there were simpler ways to do
things that I could have used to simplify my life.
- Using eclipse with remote jar files
- Experience with GUI programming
- More about Ant earlier on
- Better working knowledge of the Java framework. Such as the
packages and classpath stuff. That was all new and confusing to work
with in Eclipse.
- C++ (basically an OO course)
- More Java, better prep classes for object oriented programming,
but I think this class taught OOP well through Java API's
examples.
- How to use an IDE with Java.
- Wish I was more familiar with how Java worked as opposed to
C++.
- Some prior familiarity with Java and OO methodology would have
made it easier.
- More general Java knowledge
- Java I suppose...in all honesty not much considering that Java
itself (the language/runtime & the frameworks (classes) it
contains) and your slides are so well documented...
- The answer to everything?
- A better understanding of OO.
- More about the basics input/out error handling.
- Better knowledge of GUI programming.
- What is the most important thing you have learned in
CS399J?
- Learning the IO system hierarchy
- How to use the JavaDocs and the power of the Java APIs
- The power of Java GUI, this was the first time I got to make a
GUI-based program that wasn't web based, so doing this left a powerful
impression on my mind.
- Creating jar files
- My knowledge of a wide range of API. Seriously.
- I learned the "Java way" to do things.
- Generics and the arcane and often bizarre Java XML API.
- GUI stuff was great.
- GUI, multithreading.
- Unit testing can be done with support from APIs. Or XML, which
been struggling with on the side for personal projects.
- My ability to do object oriented programming. My much greater
understanding of how powerful the Java API can be.
- The ease of use and functionality Java has.
- How to think about/handle objects.
- XML and how to use the API docs.
- Java...I effectively knew nothing before taking this class and now
I know enough to help my friend Dean out with his compilers
assignments...
- I had previously learned Java under 1.2-3 and was not familiar
with some of the new language features in 1.4-5 like generics.
- How many ways something can be done, both poor ways and good ways.
The other thing I learned is the way things are done in Java.
- GUI, security functionality, the networking capabilities...oops,
that was three things. The most important thing: "Collection"
classes (I love it) & its methods & its subclasses.
- I liked using other code and building on it. Attending class,
etc. Just made more sense not to reinvent the wheel. Which means I
am now learned some better OOP practices.
- If you could give one piece of advice to someone taking this
course in the future, what would it be?
- Start work on the projects right away.
- This course was very fun, and I feel that I learned more here than
in any other CS course. I wish that I took this class with easier
classes so I could have focused more on Java.
- Go to class, easy points on the quizzes. Due to my busy schedule
as a father of a 2 year old, working college student, I couldn't
always make it to class at the end of the day. When if i had I could
have received many more easy quiz points.
- Plan on a lot of work.
- Focus on the API because you need to remember the specifics.
- Start early on your projects. That way you can take your time and
have fun!
- Start coding early and become intimately familiar with http://java.sun.com/docs/j2se/1.5.0
- Pay attention to the lectures, and read about the project for the
topic prior to the lecture of the topic.
- Just the usual - be on time with reading, it helps with quizzes
& homework.
- Start projects earlier so you can fix development problems instead
of using brute force methods to get things done.
- The programs in the second half of the course take much longer to
complete. So don't be fooled by how easy the first few assignments
are.
- Start as soon as possible. Even while you complete the projects
the difficulty and time consumption is deceiving.
- If you are unfamiliar with Java/OO be prepared to work.
- Make sure you start early on projects. Work hard on parsers.
- Hmm...take it even if you think you hate Java (I did) because the
instructor will make it fun and definitely worthwhile...I was
impressed and you (even you haters) will be too.
- ALWAYS look for stuff in the Java API because there are so many
useful classes already written.
- Try to get started on the project as early as possible.
- Complete the first assignments as quickly as possible and do not
blow your grace days on them.
- Start early on the assignments.
- What made you stay in this course?
- Lectures are full of great code examples.
- Dave is a fun teacher, who is honestly interested in his students
learning. He presented the material in a way that will help me to
continue to learn about Java even after the course is over.
- The projects were interesting and challenging and still feasible
which made the content fun instead of boring and hard...
- Interesting material, well presented, and good variety.
- Habit.
- It was fun! It wasn't easy, because I spent a lot of time on the
projects, but it didn't feel like a lot of time because they
were fun!
- It provided a good overview of important details and experience
using Java.
- Structure.
- Lectures, assignments.
- Java is new to me and interesting because it is quite different
development-wise than other languages.
- Getting to the GUI programming. The lectures were entertaining
and I felt like I learned new and interesting things in each
lecture.
- What I could learn...and credit hours.
- I enjoyed it, and I wanted to learn Java.
- Useful information.
- Coding is fun...even when it's coding with Java.
- Assignments were not that hard and kind of fun to play around
with.
- The material was interesting and the instructor knew the
material.
- Current information presented in understandable chunks.
- I paid money to take it.
Can't get enough comments? There are lots more comments from previous terms.
David Whitlock