What do I need to install on Java programming?

Question

I want to learn how to program in java and just wonder what I need to install on my laptop in order to start me?

I was on this site - http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html and was not sure that I need to download all 3, as well as the eclipse? If someone can tell me which ones would be helpful?

Also there will be a lot of space on the laptop?

Answer 1

At a minimum level you will need the Java Development Kit (JDK). Get the version that matches your system and make sure you get the JDK, not the JRE. With this and Notepad, you can write Java code and compile / run everything from the command line.

If you want to edit, compile and run your code using an application, you can download the integrated development environment (IDE). The most popular are IntelliJ IDEA , Eclipse , and Netbeans . Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. I used all of this, and I prefer IntelliJ, but for beginners in Java, they are all more or less accurate. When you become more advanced, you will find out which IDE is best suited to your needs, so I recommend that you experiment with a different IDE from time to time to see if you want to switch.

As with space, installing a JDK / IDE definitely takes less than 1 GB and is usually around 400-600 MB depending on the version of the IDE you download.

Answer 2

You need JRE (Java Runtime Environment) and JDK. That is all you need to download. Then you could sit down, use Notepad and execute the old school code in your OS Console.

However, using the IDE may save you some of the problems I think about.

I myself use NetBeans, but I will not recommend it because of the IDE wars that usually occur. Select everything that works.

Answer 3

At a minimum, you need a Java JDK (not a JRE), and some IDE will be useful.

On my machine (64-bit Linux), the Java 7 JDK takes up ~ 170 MB of disk, and Eclipse (version of Indigo Java EE) takes ~ 320 MB of disk. YMMV :-)