Is Android reference at android.com good enough

Question

Hi, I am a C++ developer, but have a fair idea of Java as I learnt it in college 5years ago. I have been trying to learn programming for android. But instead of rushing to buy books, I have tried to read through the Android Dev Guide and learn from there making use of the sample applications. Thats besides SO ofcourse. I am trying to make some apps based on ideas I have.

So my question is, Is it suitable or possible to learn android programming this way. Or is there something that I will be missing in all this.

Answer 1

I have found it to be sufficient with the help of google for some of the more obscure topics.

Answer 2

I think that's the easiest and the cheapest way to learn how to program android. I've read about half of Android Dev Guide before starting to write my first non-trivial application. Docs from google is the most complete android knowledge base for today (imho).

Answer 3

I started with the Android Dev Guide but found it more useful to read a book and then come back to the Android Dev Guide for some of the more advanced concepts. I felt the book helped me get over the learning curve a little easier. It probably depends on your learning style.

Answer 4

I have not read any books, but I've mostly gotten by with just the Google Android Developer guides so far, plus a bit of Googling/Stack Overflow when necessary. I've also delved into the Android source code now and again when I can't figure out a solution via the online APIs. Then again, I personally find that I learn most by doing, not reading; most of my knowledge comes from needing to solve a problem for an app and figuring out how to do so.

The only thing that I've found severely lacking is documentation about XML formats on Android; I'm not sure if any books go into more detail, but I ended up writing my own documentation on it (I'm also planning on tackling animation XML soon).

Answer 5

So I guess the answer for most people is that, yes we can learn by ourselves better by doing small projects by ourselves and using Android Documentation for reference.