Teachin'Mine Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 What is the difference between learning Java programming and JavaScript? Which would be better to take first? Am I assuming correctly that Java would be the best language to begin with? Thank you in advance!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in CA Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 I'll ask my son when he gets home (he's taking the 3-hour AIME math test right now! :) ), but I'll take a stab at it, since I know he has both Java and JavaScript books on his shelf -- yes, you want Java. It's a good first language, as well as the language used for the AP Computer Science exam. JavaScript, on the other hand, is something used for a specific purpose when designing websites (which is where my son learned it). I'm not sure JS is a 'language' per se. I'll try to remember to confirm with my son when he gets home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 Thank you Laura - that makes sense. :) Wishing your son luck on his AIME!!! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HejKatt Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Agree with Java being a better choice, I mentioned a couple of differences in this thread "Great FREE site to learn programming". http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3700161#post3700161 That said, Javascript is easier to start with and if your dc is interested in Web/graphics they will likely end up learning both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 Agree with Java being a better choice, I mentioned a couple of differences in this thread "Great FREE site to learn programming".http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3700161#post3700161 That said, Javascript is easier to start with and if your dc is interested in Web/graphics they will likely end up learning both. Thank you for the site, the thread link, and the info! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in CA Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Thank you Laura - that makes sense. :) Wishing your son luck on his AIME!!! :) Thanks! He had fun :001_smile: Well' date=' I couldn't quite pin him down ... he said JavaScript *is* a language (no relation to Java); he might recommend learning JS before Java, but then again he might recommend Python before JS ... He was kind of vague -- sorry! Plus he just turned 15, so maybe that explains it ... :001_smile: Here's an idea ... have you heard of Udacity? Their introductory course looks great and my son may take it the next round (starts in April). No prerequisites; it uses Python, which my son knows pretty well, but he's never made a search engine (!) with it. One of the teachers is a Stanford professor. Apparently (I'm just learning about how it works) there are weekly assignments and a final exam (?). And it's FREE! He'll also be taking the AoPS games programming (Python) class this summer. So many great resources out there these days! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tattarrattat Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Seems AoPS will offer their new Java Programming class in Fall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted March 16, 2012 Author Share Posted March 16, 2012 Thanks! He had fun :001_smile: Well, I couldn't quite pin him down ... he said JavaScript *is* a language (no relation to Java); he might recommend learning JS before Java, but then again he might recommend Python before JS ... He was kind of vague -- sorry! Plus he just turned 15, so maybe that explains it ... :001_smile: Here's an idea ... have you heard of Udacity? Their introductory course looks great and my son may take it the next round (starts in April). No prerequisites; it uses Python, which my son knows pretty well, but he's never made a search engine (!) with it. One of the teachers is a Stanford professor. Apparently (I'm just learning about how it works) there are weekly assignments and a final exam (?). And it's FREE! He'll also be taking the AoPS games programming (Python) class this summer. So many great resources out there these days! :001_smile: No problem! My dd is about the same age, so I thoroughly understand not being able to pin down an answer. :) Thank you for the suggestions for the classes - I don't think I've heard of Udacity before and will check it out. She'll probably be taking the computer classes at the cc, but it's always good to have options - especially free ones! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted March 16, 2012 Author Share Posted March 16, 2012 Seems AoPS will offer their new Java Programming class in Fall. Thanks! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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