Learning how to program in Java

I have spent the last few months teaching myself Java programming.  I found that a lot has changed in the programming world in the last 15 years.  The structure of Java and other object oriented languages has really improved the art of programming.  Although there is still the huge amount of effort going into developing a user interface that is pleasing to the eye and functional for the user, the use of Java Swing components at least takes a lot of the burden off the programmer to develop a cohesive user interface.  The function of the interface can also be easily separated from the actual computational work and the data that is used, making for a lot cleaner programming style.