Back | Skip forward
why do I need preparation?
My philosophy is that programming is as much an art as a science. (I like
to think that that's why they changed the name of the course from
"Computer Science" to "Computing". Of course, it's not.) Just as the
painter needs brush and palette, and the sculptor needs hammer and chisel,
the programmer needs a unique set of tools. Obtaining these tools and
being ready to use them is the first step.
Note: if you get lost anywhere in this tutorial, please e-mail me. I'd like to make this as
user-friendly as possible.
so what are these tools?
The most basic tools you ABSOLUTELY must have are a Java
compiler/interpreter and a text editor. Fortunately, if you're in SoC, you
can access these tools easily, as they are available on the School's UNIX
systems. If you don't have a UNIX account yet or are not sure how to use
it, you can always try this out on your home computer - but you'll have to
download the tools first.
Some people recommend you use a commercial Java development suite like
Symantec Visual Cafe or Microsoft Visual J++. I absolutely disagree with
this. Firstly, the versions of Java used in these products are often
outdated. Secondly, they cost a LOT of money, unless you get pirated
versions which are (obviously) illegal. Third, they don't provide that
much functionality over and above what you can get with a "homebuilt"
toolkit; a novice user will need plenty of time to learn how to use the
extra features and an experienced user won't need them most of the
time. Fourth, programs created with Microsoft's so-called Java products
run a high risk of being incompatible with the vast majority of Java
platforms, as they use unauthorized extensions.
So what should you use for programming in Java - assuming you're working
with a PC running Windows 95/98/NT? Well, Sun Microsystems has kindly
provided the world with the Java Development Kit, which is THE definitive
Java compiler. Many commercial Java tools are actually built around the
JDK, which is why I made the comments I did. I'll upload the JDK to my
website sometime (when I manage to free up enough disk space), but for now
you can download it at java.sun.com. I'll get to how to actually use it
soon.
(Promise.)
As for a text editor, you probably already have a text editor on your
system in the form of Windows Notepad. However, I strongly recommend you
do not use Notepad - it doesn't have enough functionality to make it
useful for writing Java. Instead, download EditPad,
a much better replacement. It's only a few hundred kilobytes in size ,
and worth every one of them.
alright, I've got hold of the stuff - now how do I use it?
The first thing to do, naturally, is to install it. The JDK comes as a
self-installing package, so you can just double-click on it in Windows
Explorer to install it.
NOTE: when you install the JDK, make sure you can find the
folder/directory where you installed it! This will be important
later.
EditPad's a little trickier. You'll have to have WinZip (most people have
this, but if you don't you can download it from www.winzip.com)
installed. Extract the appropriate files into a directory - for example,
C:\Program Files\EditPad. What you'll want to do now is to create a
shortcut on your desktop and/or Start menu to start EditPad. If you
already know how to do this (don't laugh, some people don't!), you can
skip the next paragraph. If not, read on.
CREATING A SHORTCUT:
Using Windows Explorer, open the folder to which you installed EditPad.
Right-click on EditPad.exe and choose "Copy". Now close or minimize
(shrink) Windows Explorer. Right-click on your desktop and choose "Paste
Shortcut", and a shortcut will appear on your desktop bearing the EditPad
icon. Double-click on it to open EditPad.
don't panic - we're nearly done with preparations...
Two more very short steps to go. First, you'll have to configure Windows
to automatically open Java files in EditPad. Second, you'll have to set
your system's auto-pathing feature to search for the Java compiler. Don't
worry if the latter sounds like gobbledegook - it'll all become clear
soon.
To configure Windows:
Open Windows Explorer. Click View (from the menu bar), then Options.
Click the File Types tab, and then click the New Type button. Now enter
the following information:
Description of type: Java Source Code
Associated extension: .java (don't forget that dot!)
Now click "New..." and enter the following:
Action: Open
Application used to perform action: (insert the location of EditPad.exe
here. For example, if you installed it to C:\Program Files\EditPad, enter
C:\Program Files\EditPad\EditPad.exe)
Now just click OK, then OK, then Close to close all those dialog boxes
you opened.
To set the auto-pathing:
In Windows Explorer, go to drive C:. Right-click on autoexec.bat and
choose "Copy". Then right-click anywhere else in the window and choose
"Paste". This is so you'll have a backup in case something goes wrong.
Now right-click on autoexec.bat and choose "Edit".
Notepad will open. Find the line that begins with "PATH" - it should look
something like "PATH = c:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND". Add the following
at the end of the line:
; (insert your JDK directory here)\BIN
For example, if you installed the JDK to C:\JDK1.1.7B and your PATH line
read:
PATH = C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM
then it should now read:
PATH = C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND;C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM;C:\JDK1.1.7B\BIN
Got that? Now save the file, close all programs and restart your computer.
Once it's done booting up, proceed to the next
section.
Back | Forward
