Installation

To formally begin programming in Java, you would need to obtain the Java software necessary and install it on your system. This section will help you set up any system with the latest Java software. There are two things you need to have on your computer to develop Java programs: a way to make the programs, and a way to write those programs. The following sections will describe both.

Windows

Download/Install

Downloading the program involves navigating to the website http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp. Here you are presented by a wide array of choices. Don't fret. For the moment, all you need is the JDK, so click on the red button with "Download JDK" inside. If you want to add something like Netbeans to your system, it's easy enough to do that at a later period.

Once downloaded, go through the install process, reading and agreeing to the terms and conditions. I recommend you keep everything at their default settings to keep things simple. java

Editor

With your system set up you'll want a method of writing your Java files. Later on, you might want to think about getting an IDE such as Netbeans. IDE's make it convenient if you work as part of a large team in an industrial environment. They do a lot of work for you, but if you don't fully understand the Java code itself, an IDE can do more harm than good.

So it's recommended for the starting chapter that you use a text editor. You can use notepad, which is default on all Windows operating systems. There is also a free and open source program called Notepad++, which you can download from http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net. This program is designed to be used as a programmer's notepad, with what's called syntax highlighting, which is a way of colouring text based on various keywords. This makes the code more readable, and it can be easier to spot errors in code.

Ubuntu Linux

Download/Install

Downloading and installing the Java Development Kit on Ubuntu (and most other linux distributions) is incredibly simple, open up terminal (press ALT+F2 and type xterm or gnome-terminal) and type or copy the following (to copy, select and press middle button on the terminal window):

sudo apt-get install openjdk-6-jdk openjdk-6-jre openjdk-6-doc

And everything is set.

Editor

Gedit is the default program provided when Ubuntu is installed. Think of it like the Windows "Notepad", but much better. Because Linux is made by hackers and programmers, the default notepad provided has all the things you'd expect a programmers writer to have.

The Notepad++ equivalent for Linux is Scite, if you feel like installing it you can use the command:

sudo apt-get install scit