Beginning jME
I’ve been learning java programming for a while now and have realized their are 2 different types of java programming I followed whats in class and primary output on Terminals while tutorials I followed at Game dev had me making applets that html files bind to. Though i have a basic grasp on Java theirs still a lot I’m not sure about. I got jME a while ago and have been following many tutorials to better understand java however I’m not sure where to start using jME or whether I’m suppose to use what I’ve learned in school, what I’ve learned in Game Dev tutorials or another. Currently I have jME set up with Eclipse because I understand its a lot easier to update however I haven’t used it to program anything yet i’ve been using Kate and Terminal in Kubuntu in order to learn Java, can anybody guide me in the proper direction.
PS…also whats the difference if I was to convert the files into JAR and compile with Ant, also is it okay to have a orange caution sign near the main folder and on some subfolders
I would highly recommend going through a basic tutorial on Eclipse. Eclipse is extremely easy to use, but there is a lot to it and can be overwhelming. Especially if you're a new developer it can be very useful to go through a tutorial that will show you the basics and how to get around in the IDE.
you would say that eclipse is easier to use than kate and konsole. I was watching sum java o eclipse tutorial earlier and it looks a lot easier to code in eclipse than using kate
are their any special algorithms i should know about when using jME also where should I start with it. I clearly understand its not a application, however I would like to know how would I begin using jME, incorporating it into my projects
Also are their any tutorials in understanding the Z-axis i've been looking around and i've been unable to find one in any language
In my opinion, Eclipse is a great IDE… it has auto-completion and contextual menus that Kate cannot possibly handle. It also makes compiling as easy as saving the file, assuming you have set it up correctly (set it up as in the wiki)… and running is also a blessing… you don't want to write the whole classpath and library path each time you run your app, even if you have a script that does that for you…
Regarding 3D programming, well, it is really like any other programming, you need to understand the API (new methods, classes that come with the library) and know the concepts behind it… There are a ton of sites that talk about 3D programming, so your friend would be the Internet. 
I started programming in jME without any real knowledge of 3D programming. Sure I had read through the "Killer game programming in Java" and a few other bits and pieces but for me it really meant nothing until I had to write the first lines of code. I actually think that jME is very welcoming towards noobs and the tutorials and TestCases quite enough to get one started. Once you want to get into more advanced stuff, you will have to get additional information elsewhere but in reality you could START… right off with jME.
Eclipse is a great IDE. I would also recommend you check out NetBeans (free as well). I’ve tried both and I’ve found NetBeans to be a bit less of a pain in the butt and more stable but your mileage may very.
Most Java IDE’s also support JUnit, the grandfather of unit testing and test driven development. I recommend you check this out as well.
If you are still learning Java development I would strongly recommend you grab a text editor and go through the Java Tutorials from Sun at http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/. These also give a nice overview of object oriented programming, just in case you are new to that as well. Avoid the GameDev tutorials and advice until you are really comfortable with Java. Usually it is a mixed bag of hacks and “it worked when I ran it…” tricks with only a few gems and you don’t want to start learning bad habits from C programmers trying to fit in a Java world.
Use just a simple text editor (like Kate) and the command line compilers to start with. Play around with the class path, with linking, and with packages. All of these things are taken care of in the IDE but if you don’t know how to do them by hand you will get very frustrated when things go wrong. Knowing the basics of javac and java will save you a lot of time when you switch to an IDE. Speaking from personal experience here! XD
pchavez said:
Eclipse is a great IDE. I would also recommend you check out NetBeans (free as well). I've tried both and I've found NetBeans to be a bit less of a pain in the butt and more stable but your mileage may very.
Use just a simple text editor (like Kate) and the command line compilers to start with. Play around with the class path, with linking, and with packages. All of these things are taken care of in the IDE but if you don't know how to do them by hand you will get very frustrated when things go wrong. Knowing the basics of javac and java will save you a lot of time when you switch to an IDE. Speaking from personal experience here! XD
Kate and Konsole is what were required to use in class so using an IDE seems kind of weird. I'm using eclipse but i opened NETBEANS because i d/l it when i was setting up java on my comp and it seems similar to Eclipse is thier any real differences, like y did find eclipse annoying. The only thing that bothers me so far is that I have to add @SuppressWarnings("serial") above the public class line and figuring out how to properly set up various folders which coincidently is easier if workspaces were set up instead to separate projects which makes sense anyway
pchavez said:
Avoid the GameDev tutorials and advice until you are really comfortable with Java. Usually it is a mixed bag of hacks and "it worked when I ran it..." tricks with only a few gems and you don't want to start learning bad habits from C programmers trying to fit in a Java world.
lol wish someone would have told me this before I started on their tutorials but my experience with java has enabled me to derive programs from what they write since I've noticed that some things they write don't run properly
thx for the replies
Bonechilla said:
... is thier any real differences, like y did find eclipse annoying.
Basically? I find the NetBeans interface a little "cleaner" and the update feature great. The code completion works great for me, I had trouble getting Eclipse to work correctly. Eclipse has a better JUnit interface but confusing compiler options.
They are really similar, you should try them both and pick the one that works with your style.
Bonechilla said:
The only thing that bothers me so far is that I have to add @SuppressWarnings("serial") above the public class line
The line only suppresses a warning, you don't have to add it at all. It might be even better to fix what the compiler is warning you for: you have a class that implements Serializable, but doesn't have a serialVersionUID. You fix it by adding the following line to your class:
ANY-ACCESS-MODIFIER static final long serialVersionUID = 42L;
See the javadoc of Serializable: http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/api/java/io/Serializable.html
This is not an Eclipse specific warning by the way.