learning java

[dmorin at lear.morinfamily.com (Duane Morin)]

On Thu, 29 Apr 2004, Tim King wrote:
> Unfortunately, the fact is that whenever I do any programming in any 
> language, I keep the API docs and language specs on hand. (Google seldom 
...
> the same brain along with C++, C, Python, and Perl, and there are going 
> to be a few references to the API spec.

I suppose it depends on the breadth of what you have to juggle every day.  
Sometimes I look at the API doc.  Not often.  But if tomorrow I started 
working with the 2D API or something, then of course I'd have to, I'm not 
familiar with it.  But I gotta think that when you work with a given spec 
every day, that you don't have to look something up every 5 minutes.

I had a good analogy I thought of earlier today.  Imagine an editor at a 
publishing company.  Good spelling is an important skill.  Nobody is going 
to know how to spell every word in the english language, and anybody can 
go look up a word in the dictionary, but the editor that knows how to 
spell the most words off the top of his head and doesn't have to consult 
the dictionary as much as the next guy is just going to be more 
productive.

Duane