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.