Java

Java is a programming language that can be used for just about anything. It is free and it runs on any operating system you are likely to find, including Windows, Macintosh, and Linux -- also PDAs, cell phones and any device that has something called a Java Virtual Machine on it. You can make webpages do interesting things by using Java Applets. In general, I don't think it is a good idea to use them very often because the visitor to your webpage has to have a plugin called the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed or they won't be able to see the applet. Java applets can't be viewed without the JRE installed.

Getting Java

Getting Java: If you don't already have Java installed, you should make a decision: Do you want to write Java applets and program, or just be able to view them? If you just want to be able to view them, download the JRE by going to java.com. Click on the "get it now" button on the top right of the web page. Wait a moment while the site checks to see if you already have java. If you already have Java installed, the website will let you know. Otherwise, click the first download button. (Note: those instructions are for Windows. If you use another operating system you can check that Java.com website for other instructions, search Google for information, or read your documentation.)

Alternatively, if you want to learn how to program in Java, you should get something called the JDK or Java SDK instead which also includes the JRE. (Note: you can download the SDK even if you already have the JRE.)

"JDK" and "Java SDK" refer to the same thing. To make things confusing, the Sun Microsystems website refers to it by those different names and gave them two different version numbers 1.5 and 5.0. Both version numbers apparently refer to the same product. J2SE is the Java 2 Standard Edition, which is what you want.

J2SE Software Development Kit 1.5.0 -- If you want to write Java applets and Java programs you need to download the J2SE SDK (a.k.a. JDK) here. As mentioned above, the website may call it "JDK 5.0 Update 2" or something similar. As of April, 2005 that is the latest version. Don't download the NetBeans bundle unless you know what NetBeans is and you want to try it. I prefer Eclipse which serves the same function and is described below. If it's too confusing and you can't figure out what to download, just search around on Google or send me a message by using the contact form at the bottom of this page.

Java Links

jEdit -- Besides the J2SE SDK mentioned directly above, you don't need anything else to develop a Java applet or program other than a text editor such as notepad on Windows. To make things easier, get a programmer's text editor that will highlight your code and perform other useful functions. jEdit is a good free text editor that is useful for many programming languages. It's written in Java and works well. If you don't want to use jEdit there is a great website called The Free Country has lists of other free programming editors.
Eclipse IDE -- Eclipse is a free IDE (an editor with many other functions also) that highlights your code, points out errors and automatically compiles your Java code on every save. Write at least a few programs with a text editor first though just to make sure you know how to work without the IDE. A text editor is simpler to start out with. The Free Country website has a list of some other free Java IDEs. Experiment to see which one(s) you like. You can't go wrong by starting out with Notepad on Windows. Just about any text editor on Linux should highlight your code for you.
Sun Tutorials -- Sun Microsystems has comprehensive Java tutorials online.
FreewareJava.com -- Java resources, including applets and tutorials.
EchoEcho.com -- Applets and tutorials.
Java Applet Tutorial -- Sample applets with source code for study.
FreeProgrammingResources.com -- Links to Java Applet tutorials.
Swing -- The section of the Sun Microsystems tutorials that deals with building a GUI in your Java programs.
Building an Application -- This tutorial from Sun Microsystems covers writing an application in Java. It is for making a stand-alone computer program in Java and is not related to web design.
Making Text Adventure Games -- Older readers will remember text adventure games like Zork and Planetfall. This site teaches you how to write a text adventure game with Java. I haven't read through it completely but it looks interesting. Let me know what you think about this link.
Java Links -- from John Hopkins University.
java.about.com -- Java Links from About.com.
Java FAQ -- a good site with Java links.
Java Book Reviews -- Java books for beginners.