Apps Hi. Looking For Advice On the best Way To Learn Android

[JB_User]

Hi All,

I'm looking for some advice on how to learn Android Programming. I'm an experienced C/C++ programmer, and I have graphics experience with Qt, TK, and OpenGL as well. I have some light Java experience. I don't have any experience with Eclipse or IDEs in general. And I only program on Linux platforms.

I have the O'Reilly books (Larning Android, Programming Android). So far, I have installed the Android SDK, Eclipse for Java Programmers, and openJDK. I'm trying to follow the O'Reilly books, but the focus is on the Ecplise IDE and they seem way out of date. The features and GUI elements they describe in those books aren't even close to what Eclipse is showing me.

So, what's the best way for me to learn Android Programming?

The app I have in mind is a simple personal app which functions much like a shopping list calculator: you add items to your cart, while at a store, and it calculates the total proce, including tax. The app actually isn't exactly like that, but similar in that I don't need any whiz-bang graphics, video, or audio. So, do I really even need Eclipse, or an IDE?

Anyway, I'm willing to read the manuals and put in the hours learning. I'm just hoping to get set off in the right direction from people that know.

Thanks!

 

[jonbonazza]

For the record, you don't NEED an IDE to program for android, but having eclipse with the latest version of ADT will make your life much easier. At any rate, you would learn to program in Android in the same way that you would learn to program for any other platform or language. This will be different for everyone. Some people prefer books, some prefer API documentation, while others might prefer to just dive into other people's code and figure it out.

 

[JB_User]

Yes, same as with any other programming language. But the problem is I've tried to get 'Hello World' working on my Android device for hours and hours without success. With any other programming language, it usually only takes a few minutes to get 'Hello World' working. So that's why I'm asking for help.

The O'Reilly books are so out of date that they are useless for getting started. And the Official Android Development pages at Getting Started | Android Developers aren't working either. So, what can I do?

 

[jonbonazza]

the developer pages at the link you supplied are accurate and up to date. What, exactly, are you having issues with? What errors are you seeing? Can you provide some code?