Java : Baby Steps

As we indicated yesterday, we plan to post a series of pieces about Java. We don't intend (or expect) to teach anybody basic programming concepts - like for loops - there are plenty of better places to learn that stuff. What we'll focus on is the practical difficulties for a newbie getting started with Java.

The first big hurdle we encountered was in installing the language - almost a show-stopper. We decided to install the Java Development Kit (JDK) and the Netbeans Integrated Development Environment (IDE) at the same time, and downloaded the  <JDK 6 Update 23 with NetBeans 6.9.1>  package from <oracle.com>.

We started up the installer and then sloped away for a coffee. When we got back, there was a shiny new "Netbeans" icon on our desktop. After a precautionary reboot, we clicked on Netbeans and received a couple of error messages: "The JDK is missing" and "Cannot locate java installation in specified jdkhome : C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.6.0_23. Do you want to try to use the default version?" We then wasted an hour or two tinkering with environment variables and the Netbeans configuration file ("netbeans.conf") before realizing that the first error message meant exactly what it said - the JDK was missing: it hadn't installed at all.

So, we ran the installer again, and this time the JDK installed.
WTF?! The first of many Half-Assed Excellence awards for Sun/Oracle.

We then followed the instruction in step 4 on the oracle.com page linked <here> to set our PATH environment variable. This is so you can compile a program by typing "javac Sucio.java" in a DOS box, rather than having to type "C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.6.0_23\bin\javac Sucio.java" - which would get old very fast (unless you're Mavis Beacon).

Having gone to the trouble of downloading and installing Netbeans, we decided not to use it just yet. IDEs are a great tool for experienced programmers to crank out code quickly, but they can get in the way of learning about a language. (And we're too lazy to RTFM.)

So, for now, we're going to edit our code using Programmer's Notepad - a nice little editor that knows about Java syntax (and a lot of others) - which can be downloaded free <here>.

Next time, we'll run through compiling a traditional "Hello World" program:

class HelloWorldApp {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
      System.out.println("Viva Sucio!");
    }
}

(The code sample above was posted using google-code-prettify following the instructions posted <here>.)