For this class, we used Apache NetBeans 17. I got really excited when I purchased the textbook for Kindle, because it was only about $5. When I realized large and important chunks of the text were missing, I cried my way to the college bookstore to pick up a complete physical copy for $200.
This robot assignment was cute! We could get creative with the head. I gave mine surprised eyebrows. It's harder than it looks to get everything centered!
I originally had an elaborate story about someone opening a Beatles eCommerce store to go along with my project. I struggled to find a midterm project idea until I saw music player projects on YouTube. Sometimes, you don't know what you want until you see it!
With this project, I remember thinking, "We have AI now, so I really have to push the limits of what a beginner could reasonably be expected to do! I can build more, with more complexity, faster now!"