...ahhhhh, welcome to installation, classpath and package hell.
I think beginning Java is easier than C++ because you don't have to worry about deleting pointers after using the 'new' operator, and inheritance is simpler(can't have multiple base classes). But having to make everything a class seems a bit ridiculous--especially main(). Compiling programs in Java is also a pain.
Java does allow you to expand into the web, but then if you want to do that, maybe you should really be learning C#.
I've read a little bit about C#, and it seems a lot like Java in that it also has automatic freeing of memory(i.e 'garbage collection'). C# like Java seems like a simpler version of C++ but with a much broader scope that includes the web. Of course C# is expensive to get into--you have to buy a compiler and have the necessary .NET framework on your computer, where Java is free--that's the reason I'm learning Java over C#.
Good luck.
p.s. The only active Java forums I've found are at the Sun website.
