Java Development Kit

There are several development environments for Java.  Integrated Design Environments are available from Borland, Asymetrix, Symantec, and others, but the original development environment is from Sun Microsystems, the originator of Java.  This is the Java Software Development Kit, or SDK.  The SDK has several advantages, and best of all, it is free.  The entire package can be downloaded off of the net from Sun. 

"J2SE 1.4.2 has begun the Sun End of Life (EOL) process.  The EOL transition period is from Dec, 11 2006, until the General Availability (GA) of the next Java version, Java SE 7, currently planned for the summer of 2008."  (Sun Microsystems)

Either version 1.4 or another version of the SDK can be obtained from Sun using the links below.  There are two choices for version 1.4:

• Windows Online Installation
  • This will download j2sdk-1_4_2_16-windows-i586-p-iftw.exe, 307,200 bytes.  When this file is executed, the full package (or selected parts) will be downloaded from the internet.
• Windows Offline Installation
  • This will download j2sdk-1_4_2_16-windows-i586-p.exe, 51,442,037 bytes.  This is a standalone package, which contains the entire package. 

Be sure to choose SDK (Software Development Kit) rather than JRE (Java Runtime Environment.)

The programs in the Java Development Kit are not windows programs.  They are run from the command line of a DOS window. 

From a DOS command line, execute the program which has been downloaded, either j2sdk-1_4_2_16-windows-i586-p-iftw.exe or j2sdk-1_4_2_16-windows-i586-p.exe.  These are Windows programs. 

C:\download>j2sdk-1_4_2_16-windows-i586-p

Follow the instructions of the installation program.  If the small installation program has been chosen, installation may take hours with a dial-up connection.

To run the SDK programs, the environment variable path should be set. 

Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista

• The "path" environment variable should be set to include the directory where the java executable files have been installed, e.g.

  c:\sun\java\bin
  

Windows 95/98/ME

• To add this to the path (for Windows 95/Windows 98), add a line to the c:\autoexec.bat file, e.g.,

  PATH=c:\sun\java\bin;%PATH%
  

The system will have to be rebooted before these changes take effect.