What software you need
This book is designed to work with Java Platform, Standard
Edition 6 (Java SE 6*). This version of the Java Platform
includes the Java Development Kit 6 (JDK 6), as well
as the Java Runtime Environment 6 (JRE 6).
You can download Java SE 6 and its documentation for
free from the web site for Sun
Microsystems. To make that easier for you, chapter
1 describes and explains the procedures that you
will use.
Chapter 1 also shows you how to download and install
TextPad, a text editor that's designed for working with
Java. And that's all the software you will need for
developing professional Java applications like the ones
presented in the book.
Another alternative, though, is to use a Java IDE instead
of TextPad for developing your Java applications. The
two most popular IDEs used by professional Java developers
are Eclipse and NetBeans. Although these are touched
upon in chapter 1, you'll need to know much more before
you can use either one on your own. That's why we're
providing free, downloadable tutorials
on both IDEs that show you how to install and use them.
*In the development community, you'll also hear the
software referred to as Java 1.6.0 (or just 1.6). That's
because version 6 is the product version, while
version 1.6.0 is the developer version; it appears
in the software in places that are visible only to developers.
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