I need recommendation, JAVA starter

[kenth21v]

Well I have a background in using Java 3yrs ago, a long time. We've used Jcreator for school.

Now I want to review and study Java again but I saw too many types or kinds of JAVA and I am confused.

What JAVA can you recommend? And what application should I use to create programs using Java.

Some tips from my friends: j2se, eclipse.

Please give me a step to follow. I am really confused. Thank you very much!

[rotten69]

What do you exactly mean by "you saw too many types of Java"?

Since you had a good background in programming, Java shouldn't be too hard then. I found this thread helpful if you're looking for some books on Java to read or tutorials to learn from as well. Download the Java SDK and JRE from here then direct the enviroment variable on your pc to where JRE is installed. Lastly, download Eclipse from its website.And, You're ready to go.

[anand01]

my sugesstion is to learn java, don't use any IDE, just go with noteapd,
If you want to create java applications we have lots of IDE, Eclipse and Netbeans are popular amoung them. You can download java here http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html

[kenth21v]

@rotten69, i mean like Jave SE, Java EE, Java ME, Java FX, Jave DB..

@amand01, but isn't using notepad will be confusing? I mean no colors. heheh. My main concern, how can I compile and run it? please guide me here.

[JamesCherrill]

There are 3 "versions" of Java - ME, SE, EE
ME is for phones etc. SE is the ordinary desktop version. EE is SE plus stuff for entrprise-scale applications (big web servers & databases etc). As a "home" user you would normally go for SE.
Java FX is an add-on to Java for advanved GUI stuff, you can probabl ignore it for now.
Java DB is the SQL database that's bundled with Java SE, and it's all the database you need unless you are doing serious large-scale stuff.
You can dowenload the JRE (Java Runtime Environment) that has all you need to run existing apps, or the JDK (Java Development Kit) that has all you need to create and run apps.

So all you need is the current Java SE JDK for your chosen operating system.

As for tools, the JDK has compilers etc, so all you need is a decent programmer's editor - there are few to chose from, all free to download and use.

Professional developers tend to use IDEs like NetBeans or Eclipse for Java development, but the concensus among the more experienced users here is that you should start simple, and move on to a full IDE when your understanding of Java is realy solid.

[stultuske]

Kenth21V: that is exactly why you should start with notepad.
Java ME (Micro Edition) is for development for mobile applications
Java EE (Enterprise Edition) is probably what you're looking for.
just go to the Oracle website and download the latest JDK (or one of the latest).
you can learn how to compile, package, run, ... your code by the command prompt, from either a decent book, or by following the java tutorials, which can be found:
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/

sure, using an IDE can come in handy: the nice colors tell you whether you made a mistake, which are keywords, ... the IDE automatically completes a method name, you can compile and run by clicking a single button, ...
but you won't learn how to recognize or do these things yourself, you just learn how to use the IDE. what if later on, you have to develop software and you can't use that IDE?

by starting from the start, you learn to do all those things. you also learn how to read and interpret a stack trace. for instance, if you run into a nullpointer exception, you'll be able to read the stacktrace, identify where in your code the exception is thrown and most likely solve it within a matter of minutes. those who immediately start the easy way, the "I'll let the IDE do everything for me" approach, are mostly the ones that have to post a stacktrace like that, accompanied by the question "what does this mean and how do I solve this?"

[zeroliken]

but isn't using notepad will be confusing? I mean no colors.

probably meant notepad++, a popular editor
also if you want to do it manually (terminal commands) use the javac command for compiling and java for running your programs

[kenth21v]

@JamesCherrill, so SE is for starters. But EE is SE + more.
@stultuske, you said go for EE, maybe you're assuming I would go further, thank for that, I think I would.

so what I need is:
1. JDK
2. and follow tutorials from http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/
3. Switch to using an IDE if I'm good enough. :)

Thanks to EVERYONE! I understand it now!
Gonna mark this thread solved at the end of the day.

[JamesCherrill]

@JamesCherrill, so SE is for starters.

Not quite. SE is all you need if you are not deploying enterprise-scale applications. It's not just for starters.
For example, my work is in object design and GUI design, so I have no need of the enterprise features in EE. EE takes you in an architecure direction (eg enterprise java beans, servlets) which may or may not be relevant to anything you will do in the near future. As EE is a pure superset of SE I would still recommend continuing your learning with SE for now. If you do chose to go straight to EE then just beware of jumping straight to architecures and frameworks that are built upon, and assume prior knowledge of, Java SE features.

[stultuske]

Indeed, for a lot of programming, SE is all you need. I just mentioned EE in case you wanted to go further afterwards, you would only hneed to download Java once.

[Mike+9]

If you want to learn it I would recommend starting with the Sun Certified books in the order on this website here.
The books are pretty good and they explain the most used bits and pieces of java.

[kenth21v]

Thanks to everyone !!