Stupid Java Development Question (JDK? XCode?)

Question

I'm brand new to OS X, so forgive my noobness. I'm still getting used to OS X.
I'm doing this little Java tutorial. It says I need to download an install the Java JDK. As I understand it, Java is already built into OS X and I need to use XCode to create and compile Java programs instead of the JDK....where the heck is XCode?
If anyone knows, I could really use some help. Just finished going through the basics of how to make simple programs in Java but I don't know what to do! Lol. I feel so dumb. I kind of want to call Apple, but I think I'd feel to stupid. I think I have to download XCode? That's what I'm doing now. I had to sign up with the ADC. It's a big file though, 915MB, and it's probably going to take around an hour. I hope someone can tell me if I'm doing the right thing or not before then. I'm guessing I just download this and use this to write Java? How then do I compile? The tutorial is telling me to go to the command prompt and do:
Code:
javac filename.java
to compile the class and then,
Code:
java classname
to execute.
I'm guessing that in OS X I'm going to use the terminal to accomplish this?
Any help would be appreciated. I feel really dumb right now. The tutorial only covers how to do this in Windows and Solaris.

Answer 1

Hi Ralph
I'm doing this little Java tutorial. It says I need
to download an install the Java JDK. As I understand
it, Java is already built into OS X and I need to use
XCode to create and compile Java programs instead of
the JDK....where the heck is XCode?
Go to http://developer.apple.com/ and sign up for a free Apple Developer Connection account. Once you've logged in, go to Downloads and you'll be able to find the latest versions of Xcode and Java. When it comes to downloading Java, take care to choose the version which matches your hardware and version of OS X.
[snip] It's a big file though, 915MB,
and it's probably going to take around an hour. I
hope someone can tell me if I'm doing the right thing
or not before then. I'm guessing I just download this
and use this to write Java? How then do I compile?
Yes - they're big files and you need to persevere with the downloads. Once you've got Xcode and Java installed, you can find some newby tutorials on my web page here:
http://www.cems.uwe.ac.uk/~lrlang/javasoundmusic/index.html
You'll find the links to tutorials near the bottom of the page.
The tutorial is telling me to go to the command
prompt and do:
Code:
javac filename.java
to compile the class and then,
Code:
java classname
to execute.
I'm guessing that in OS X I'm going to use the
terminal to accomplish this?
Yes. This technique works for any Unix system (including OS X), and I used to teach my students to work this way, but I no longer recommend it. As you guessed, you have to type in these commands into the Utilities/Terminal program. However, to be effective you also need to know a number of other Unix commands like "cd" "ls", "pwd" and a few more which you can find in any introductory book on Unix. You also need to use a text editor (such as TextEdit) to create your Java source files and then save them to the hard disk. While this technique will work, you won't get the syntax highlighting and colouring that is offered by the Xcode editor.
Any help would be appreciated. I feel really dumb
right now. The tutorial only covers how to do this
in Windows and Solaris.
I think that if you follow my tutorials you will very quickly get up and running with Java development. I hope you enjoy working with Java as much as I do. You can always come back here if you need more help.
Bob