RFI: the best way to learn a programming language

stevie i tried to send you a webmail let me know if it worked- if not just let me know the address i can send this stuff on to you.

The email you gave me was a dud, sent it to ursurnameatgmail.com instead let me know if thats gone through ok.

Never done any programming before till this year.

Been learning some data integration through using an open source tool that runs on Java (Talend). Do need to learn as much java as I can to do two things: (i) to learn to manipulate strings according to requirements and (ii) guide to errors so I can debug. But through using Talend I am interested to learn as much as I can, its given me a way in.

Things I will do: learn to touch type.

So far I have hacked away at a sams book before giving up. Boredom is the least of it but I will grit my teeth through one at xmas (one problem is it has stuff about android etc and I'm not interested in that as in manipulating flat files or spreadsheets).

Hardest thing is to make up challenges to yourself that might mirror challenges I'll face professionally.

I need to find a way of acquiring enough background to develop solutions to problems - and I'm getting there but I'm not as comfortable as I want to be.

Ultimately I think "Just keep doing stuff" for a while every day is probably the best advice.

If you're really motivated to use a specific tool that runs on java, that will probably trump everything, but in general, I'd say java is not a very friendly environment to be learning one's first language, and there are a lot of other languages that do flat files and spreadsheets with less headaches involved.

'processing' has a much friendlier environment and is practically java if you wanted a less steep curve to climb.
Tutorials, documentation and example projects are built-in, and you can make neat art pieces with it!

Interesting...will look into it.