To download the Java Development Kit, you will need to navigate the Sun web site and decipher an amazing amount of jargon before you can get the software that you need.
You already saw the abbreviation JDK for Java Development Kit. Somewhat confusingly, versions 1.2 through 1.4 of the kit were known as the Java SDK (Software Development Kit). You will still find occasional references to the old term.
Next, you'll see the term "J2SE" everywhere. That is the "Java 2 Standard Edition," in contrast to J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition) and J2ME (Java 2 Micro Edition).
The term "Java 2" was coined in 1998 when the marketing folks at Sun felt that a fractional version number increment did not properly communicate the momentous advances of JDK 1.2. However, because they had that insight only after the release, they decided to keep the version number 1.2 for the development kit. Subsequent releases were numbered 1.3, 1.4, and 5.0. The platform, however, was renamed from "Java" to "Java 2." Thus, we have Java 2 Standard Edition Development Kit version 5.0, or J2SE 5.0.
For engineers, all of this might be a bit confusing, but that's why we never made it into marketing.
If you use Solaris, Linux, or Windows, point your browser to http://java.sun.com/j2se to download the JDK. Look for version 5.0 or later, and pick your platform.
Sometimes, Sun makes available bundles that contain both the Java Development Kit and an integrated development environment. That integrated environment has, at different times of its life, been named Forte, Sun ONE Studio, Sun Java Studio, and Netbeans. We do not know what the eager beavers in marketing will call it when you approach the Sun web site. We suggest that you install only the Java Development Kit at this time. If you later decide to use Sun's integrated development environment, simply download it from http://netbeans.org.
After downloading the JDK, follow the platform-dependent installation directions. At the time of this writing, they were available at http://java.sun.com/j2se/5.0/install.html.
Only the installation and compilation instructions for Java are system dependent. Once you get Java up and running, everything else in this book should apply to you. System independence is a major benefit of Java.
