I read your post and must warn you of some things:

1. Just b/c you build computers and know how to build computers doesn't mean learning Java is going to be any easier.

2. Java is a very complex language and is usually learned after C/C++. If you are a "newbie programmer" you should start out dabbling with Pascal or C and then move on to C++ and then move onto Java. That would be alot less painful for you.

However, it's all up to you. I'm just suggesting that you start slow and work your way up. Java is a hot language right now though, so good luck.

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root is the greed of all evil