I tried to learn Java when I was kid and spent almost 3 hours trying to get Hello World to compile. I tried again for an hour the next day, and couldn't do it.

I tried to learn Java when I was kid and spent almost 3 hours trying to get Hello World to compile. I tried again for an hour the next day, and couldn't do it. I also didn't understand what words like "void", "static" and "main" meant. It was all voodoo mojo I didn't have in me. I thought I must have not been talented enough to understand these words. You need to compile a program to get any feedback at all. I did learn some HTML and JavaScript, because it was so easy to get started. I made table-based layouts and all that. But JavaScript wasn't a serious programming language at the time-- I really wanted to make a Java applet. The toolchain was just too complex and intimidating for me, so I gave up. Years late, I picked up the old Java book again and realized it was no good anyways. I could have learned C from K&R when I was a kid, especially if I used Linux. I was always interested in Linux, but my family was paranoid about "breaking" the computer. I would have also been plugged in to open source culture at a much younger age. With Windows, it was all about freeware.