Java and .net for PHP programmer

Question

Hey! I have been programming with php for a few years. I do like php and hope to keep working with it for a few more years, but I see that my company is going into the java world. Can anyone recommend any good books, tutorials, podcast´s, whatever that will help me learn java? Something basic and intermediate would be nice.

Also if there are any tut's (and whatever else you got) for .NET (c# preferably) I would also appreciate it because I am seeing more and more job offerings for .NET here in Portugal.

Thanks

Answer 1

Fast and no money: Sun Java tutorial. Really, they're great, many good coders learned Java this way.

After you finish this, read "Effective Java" by Josh Bloch. Amazing book.

Next, learn how C# has become a vastly better language than Java, but unfortunately you can't really use it on non-Windows OS.

P.S. Do not, under any circumstances, buy a thick Java book at you local bookstore. Most chances it's probably just a waste of time.

Answer 2

Effective Java http://java.sun.com/docs/books/effective/

Bruce Eckel's Thinking in Java:

http://www.mindview.net/Books/TIJ/

Java Possee Podcast http://www.javaposse.com/

Software Engineering Radio http://www.se-radio.net

Answer 3

A lot of programming language constructs are language agnostic (pretty much all languages have loops for example), so it can be useful to have a primer on the syntactic differences for the structures you're familiar with.

So here's a primer on the syntactic differences between PHP and Java.

Answer 4

If you're going the Java route, do the SCJP cert. The exam objectives are the "all you need to know", and the many mock exams on the web will give you a feel for the Java way (which you can do even if you don't certify).

(take into account the recommendations of the previous posters, but the cert is cheap enough and will point you in the right direction)

Download some of the major Java tools/frameworks out there (Spring, Tomcat) and have a look at the source code, and get a feel for how things are architected in Java.

Answer 5

http://www.asp.net/learn