Setting Up A Java Development Enviroment For Linux

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<br><br>Link==&gt;&gt;&gt;<br><br>   <a href='http://www.linuxgazette.com/issue45/gibbs/Linux_java.html' target='_blank'>http://www.linuxgazette.com/issue45/gibbs/Linux_java.html</a><br><br><br><br><br>&quot;Linux Gazette...making Linux just a little more fun&#33;&quot; <br><br><br>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br><br><br>Setting Up A Java Development Enviroment For Linux<br>By Chris Gibbs<br><br><br>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br><br><br>Contents<br>Obtaining the JDK <br><br>Kernel Support For Java <br><br>JDK <br><br>Java Beans <br><br>Swing <br><br>Java Accessibility Utilities <br><br>JSDK <br><br>Documentation <br><br>Java Tutorial <br><br>Sun&#39;s HotJava Browser <br><br>Next Month <br><br>Introduction<br>This article is intended to help those new to either Linux or Java set their machines up to run Java applications, as well as providing an effective environment for developing new Java applications. <br><br>Specifically I shall explain how to set up Sun&#39;s 1.1.x JDK and other related packages. This is not the only way to run Java on Linux. <br><br>Blackdown.org now offers the new 1.2.x JDK for Linux (at the time of writting this is still a pre-release version). I only recommend using this if you are also using the new 2.2.x Linux kernel. If you choose to install the 1.2.x JDK then please note that you do not need to obtain the Swing and JSDK packages, since they are already included. Also you may find some compatibility problems if you use older Java applications with the 1.2.x JDK. In particular if you intend to implement the javapache extensions to Apache you will need to use JDK 1.1.x. <br><br>In addition there exist other third party Java environments and Java compilers such as IBM&#39;s jikes. Use these at your own peril&#33; IMHO Sun have defined and developed the Java language so I expect their Java environments to be the most standard. Other environments may be of interest, but I cannot cover them here. <br><br>Unfortunately the development of the Java language for Linux lags the development for other operating systems. Having said that there are still many advantages to using Java on Linux, not least of which is the easy availability of sophisticated development tools. If you have not seen a recent version of DDD (The Dynamic Display De-bugger), you may not realise that it now supports Java. If you write any programs under Linux DDD is a must have utility. <br><br>Why use Java at all? <br><br>Java&#39;s greatest advantage is also its greatest disadvantage. For reasons given below, the fact that the same Java code can be run on any platform without re-compiling is responsible for the fact that Java applications can appear slow. It is this slowness that has lead some to question the need to use Java at all. <br><br>It is true that if speed in loading and running an application is the only criteria for choosing a programming language then I would never consider using Java at all. Although applications such as jedit and the Java cd player described in earlier editions of this e-zine are functionaly equivalent to applications written in C they are very slow to start up and I am loath to use them when I have much faster alternatives. <br><br>But Java is not meant for such applications. Java excells in what it was originally designed for, which is to provide a means of making applications available over the Internet. Over the Internet the speed of loading an application is not really important when compared to the time it takes to download the application. <br><br>Now consider your friendly ISP, and the servers that provide you with Internet access. Your ISP (even your local Intranet) needs the fastest machines possible given certain criteria (cost etc). The cost of the actual server may not be important when compared to the software investment of server-side applications. Using Java to implement server-side applications leaves your ISP free to choose the best machine architecture and operating system without having to worry about the cost and feasibility of re-implementing such applications. They can simply be copied from one machine to another. Perhaps one day Microsoft will develop a reliable operating system that is superior to a *NIX operating system. If that day ever comes I will want to change from Linux, using Java will allow me to do that and keep exactly the same server-side applications I am running now. <br><br>If you only want to use a stand-alone computer, with no network access, either locally or over the Internet, then you probably do not need or want to consider using Java. But if your machine is going to be part of a local network or the Internet then the use of Java should be taken very seriously. Java is not the only way to develop network applications. For instance Perl can be used in a very similar way. But Java is a very attractive option. <br>