1.4 The Java Development Kit

SUN Microsystems provides a development kit, called JDK, for Java and many related programs and tutorials at the HTTP address http:/www.javasoft.com/nav/download/. The JDK comes with the Java libraries, the compiler, debugger, appletviewer, and example programs in Java. This is all you need for developing java programs. A lot of documentation is also available, mostly in HTML format so is it is easy to use it on-line. Useful, if not indispensable, documentation is

Java Tutorial (http://www.javasoft.com/doc/tutorial.html): A practical, on-line guide to writing programs in the Java language, written by Mary Campione and Kathy Walrath, and also published in "The Java Series" by Addison-Wesley.
Java API Documentation (http://www.javasoft.com/doc/api_documentation.html): API stands for Application Programming Interface and the API guide introduces you to and documents the Java classes and packages. This guide is also published in "The Java Series" as Java Application Programming Interface: Volumes 1 and 2 (James Gossling and Frank Yellin, editors).
Frequently Asked Questions (http://www.javasoft.com/nav/read/faq2.html): Answers to commonly asked questions about Java and the JDK.
Java User Groups: Java user groups are springing up everywhere. Look at http://sunsite.unc.edu/javafaq/usergroups.html for a user group in your neighborhood.
Java News Groups: More than a day's work to read all messages in Java news groups! Their names start with comp.lang.java. See http://www.javasoft.com/aboutJava/newsgroups.html for a complete list.