Java Programming
Introduction > Setting up a Java workstation
A good Java workstation should consist of a computer with at least a 266 megahertz processor and 128 Mb of Random Access Memory (RAM). Although this tutorial will be using Microsoft Windows 2000, it is possible to run Java on all versions of Windows (95 and greater), Linux and Solaris.
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I mentionned above that it is possible to run Java on all versions of Windows (95 or greater), Linux and Solaris. It may appear that Java is not as multi platformed as claimed, since 3 operating systems is not much. These are simply the only operating systems supported directly by Sun Microsystems. Many versions of Java exist for other operating systems, such as Macintosh, BeOS, but they are not maintained by Sun. They are only based on Sun's Java specification which is a set of rules governing all ports of Java. Java for other platforms: |
As mentioned in the first page of this guide, all you truly need to program in Java is the Java Development Kit (JDK) which is a combination of the Java Runtime Environment (the part that runs your Java application) and the Java Compiler (the part that compiles your code into java byte code).
It is however recommended that you install a visual environment in which to work, since this will dramatically increase your productivity by reducing the time it takes to compile and run your Java application. Although many different Java visual programming environments exist, for this tutorial we will be using WebGain's VisualCafé 4, since it is currently the easiest and most popular development environment for Windows.