🚀 go-pugleaf

A lot of the java syntax is identical to C/C++, but some of the 
keywords are different (e.g. package, import, interface, extends, 
implements are java only keywords and would not be highlighted by
a C++ syntax editor). They are definitely not the same language, but
very similar looking.

Personally, I think that java makes a very good teaching language. 
Using the API shows you what object oriented programming is about,
whereas I don't think C++ will help you learn this. Java is also
rather simpler than C++, and probably easier to get your head round.
If you want to, later, moving from java to C++ will involve more
learning, but you should have come to grips with the syntax and basics
by then. You could almost regard java as an introduction to C++.

I came the other way - from C++ to java, largely to try to get a
better understanding of OO and classes, and found two things:
1) I prefer java, and would be happy to stick with it, and 
2) Everything I ever wrote in C++ was spaghetti, and needs rewriting.

Java is well capable of producing applications as well as browser
applets, although you would normally create 'class' or 'jar' files which
are run by a JVM, rather than EXEs that are windows specific. Java can
produce console (text only) apps like DOS programs or GUI apps like
windows programs. As it happens, I have never written a browser applet,
partly because most stuff I write does networking things that are 
prohibited by the browser security.

There are times when I would like to turn my finished projects into 
.exe files as well, to simplify using them on windows (users would
then not need to install a java runtime first), but I don't lose
any sleep over it.

You probably get the impression by now that I think starting with java
is the best approach, but that's just my opinion. Comments from others?

Steve.