Adding an example .make file is the recommended practice, that way when drush make builds the site, the modules all end up in the same directory.  For example OpenAtrium puts its contrib modules in /profiles/openatrium/modules/contrib, not /sites/all/modules. This prevents module conflicts and makes site maintenance easier.

Standards/recommendations for Drush make files included in contrib modules
I am a competent C++ developer.  I understand and use polymorphism, templates, the STL, and I have a solid grasp of how streams work.  For all practical purposes, I've done no Java development.  I'm sure some of you were in a similar situation at one point when you had to learn Java.  How long did it take you to become a competent Java programmer?  
