The Future

Originally, JOT was designed with complex programmed navigation amongst its pages.  It has now been simplified so that most of the pages are plain HTML, with only the facilities for compiling, running and testing programs being programmed.  This makes it quicker and easier to edit or add to the material. Also, the navigation is now more hierarchical and less linear, making it easier for people to skip forward or dip in where they want.  So what will happen to JOT in the future?

First of all, it is motivated by the first year course in Software Engineering, so it tends to get attention once a year, according to teaching needs. That makes it difficult to predict where it will go, but here are some ideas:

• add more about static versus normal methods, and library use
• add exercises on jargon and debugging
• move style, copy, debug pages to a later section
• add more on assignments
• add something on directory/folder organisation
• add material on loops from the old tutorial: calculate
• add material on methods and program structure from the old tutorial: structure
• add material on files and interaction from the old tutorial: files
• say a lot more about classes and objects, and object oriented programming
• introduce objects earlier
• introduce global variables earlier, and explain why they are relatively OK in Java
• try to build in the style checker and automatic tester
• add some over-the-shoulder video material showing how development is done
• provide an applet and/or Web-start application forming a beginner's IDE
• add graphics exercises using applets, along the lines of "does your picture look like this one?"

---

Back