Advanced Java Topics takes you into the Java realm where Essential Java Training leaves off. This track will teach you the areas of Java that industry developers use to create and maintain client/server applications. Its subjects are:

The Developer Training for Java is the complete library of Java courses, but it also includes a few more courses to round out the entire learning experience. It's broken down into four distinct areas of learning: Fundamentals, Intermediate, Advanced, and Tools for Java. The Fundamentals section covers the first four topics in the Essential Java Training course, including a course called "Java for Managers," which is less technical but offers a good understanding of the Java language, its benefits and how and when to use Java technology. Intermediate and Advanced tracks cover the remaining topics included in the Essential Java Training and Advanced Java Topics tracks. The Tools for Java contains three courses. One, an overview of Java technology tools, describes the various Java development environments on the market today with screen shots of each product. It discusses the features and benefits of each one in detail so you can make an educated decision when choosing which product to use. The other two courses cover Microsoft Visual J++ and Symantec Visual Café for Java, probably the most popular Java development environments. They offer in-depth coverage on using the two products, maximizing their features to make Java applications.

Deployment Options
MindQ offers several methods for deploying these courses in your organization. You can run the CDs on a stand-alone workstation, distributed over your local area network or through your organization's intranet. In stand-alone mode you can run the course either straight from the CD or the local hard drive. To deploy the courses through your network or intranet, you'll need to obtain a corporate license, which includes all the courses plus a network installation package that allows you to choose the best deployment option for your organization. To run the courses over the network, your network administrator runs the installation package, which copies the courses to a server. The files are compressed on the server to save drive space. When a student wants to run a course, the client package on their workstation is started and the data streams to it as if the CDs were running locally. MindQ's streaming technology is what allows it to run over a LAN or an intranet.

Summary
I was pretty familiar with Java before reviewing these courses, but because I'm self-taught, some aspects of the language and environment weren't clear. I found myself fascinated by the interface and MindQ's teaching method. From a learning standpoint the lessons are well organized. MindQ obviously gave their curriculum a lot of thought when they put the lessons together. The cost of each package reflects a one-year licensing term, but the CDs won't self-destruct at the end of the year. Think of it as a maintenance agreement. Any updates to the product are free of charge during the one-year licensing term. If you don't renew, you won't receive any updates.

After completing these courses, don't expect to suddenly be a Java programming genius. That will occur over time and after you've used Java for a while. You should, however, be able to sling around the Java buzzwords with confidence and have fairly intelligent conversations with other Java-savvy developers. If learning Java is what you're looking for, and you want to learn it at your own pace without spending a fortune on private lessons or wading through countless Java books, MindQ offers a great solution.