To get started with our exercises and homework, we need to set up our computers to work with Java code and run it. This is called creating a development environment. As you learn more about coding and programming, you will encounter many different tools to help you do your job. There are so many in fact, that you might find that one fits better than another. While they all essentially do the same thing, there are features and options in different tools that mesh better with different types of coders.
Coding tools, and their more sophisticated brothers, the integrated development environment, or IDE, can sometimes spark passionate debate on which one is considered, "the best", but ultimately it comes down to you, the coder, to decide what is best for you.
To help make this course and the tools we use easy to understand and the same across Windows and macOS, the tool we will use is IntelliJ IDEA. IDEA is a free coding tool from JetBrains that is easy to use, not very complicated, and it is the same across platforms.
There are others that you can use for this course as well. Some examples are Eclipse or NetBeans. These tools provide the same features, but I wouldn’t recommend using them to help us all be consistent with our tools when working together.
The other key tool you will need is the Java Development Kit or JDK. In order for the IDE to work, it needs to have the Java compiler to create your Java bytecode and then use the Java Runtime Environment or JRE to run your program in a virtual machine, called the JVM.
The version that you will use is the Java SE or Standard Edition that you can download for free from Oracle. Regardless if you use IDEA, or another IDE, you will need to install the JDK in order to compile and build your programs.
If you want to follow along with the same tools that I'll be using, you will need to install the JDK and IntelliJ IDEA.
To install the tools I'm using, you will need a PC with Windows 7, 8, 8.1, or 10 already installed.
For a macOS computer, you will need Yosemite, High Sierra or Mojave. It is recommended that you uninstall the version that Apple installs by default (called OpenJDK). Refer to instructions online for how to do this.
First, we need to install the JDK.
With your browser, go to the Oracle website: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html
From here, click on the Java JDK download button.
Then accept the license agreement, and then select Windows which must be installed on a 64-bit computer and operating system or for macOS.
Your browser will prompt you to save the installer to your computer. Save and run the installer using the defaults for the configuration.
Remember the location of where the JDK is installed, you will need this later on to connect IntelliJ IDEA to the JDK.
Now we need to install IntelliJ IDEA
With your browser, go to the JetBrains website: http://www.jetbrains.com
Under Tools, look for the column IDEs, and select IntelliJ IDEA. We will use the Community Edition, which is free.
Your browser will prompt you to save the installer to your computer. Click Save to continue and download.
Run the installer and accept the defaults for all the settings.
That's it! IntelliJ IDEA and the Java Development Kit are successfully installed!