Wow - when I saw the list, I realized I have a lot to learn. I'm a newbie in the computer field (I'm a software tech for a local software company), and the stuff on the list I hope I can pick up through the years... In the company I work for, I'm always looking over the programmer's shoulder and asking questions. The more questions you ask, the more you learn. Even though I went to school for IT, they never taught me the in's-and-outs of every-day programmings...just the basics. The stuff on your list is great, and any aspiring programmer will want to take a good look at it. BTW...my gut instinct tells me that the second example 'if (a.equals("something")){ ---instructions---- } will compile and work....I've seen this example before, but not sure why a.equals works rather than a == ===== Thanks, Alpha Zenon Sanchez __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com