The first thing I did was found the Java download page:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html
I downloaded and installed the JDK (Java development kit) + NetBeans bundle. It took forever to download and install and even longer to load NetBeans once it was installed. So I uninstalled NetBeans and Java and went back and downloaded the JDK by itself. That's all you really need to get started. Well that and a text editor, but there are more text editors than I care to list.
So, I'm now armed with a new programming language, but I don't know how to use it. I need some help. I searched and found the Java documentation at:
http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html#docs
I downloaded and unzipped the files to my Java install folder. I clicked the index file and my web browser opened and a couple clicks later I was starting the "Hello World" tutorial: http://download.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/getStarted/cupojava/win32.html
So here's the tutorial.
Open Windows Notepad (Programs > Accessories > Notepad). Type the following text:
/**
* The HelloWorldApp class implements an application that
* simply prints "Hello World!" to standard output.
*/
class HelloWorldApp {
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("Hello World!"); // Display the string.
}
}
Save this file as "HelloWorldApp.java". Make sure you type correctly. Java is case sensitive. That means "HelloWorldApp.java" is not the same as "helloWorldApp.java".
Open a command prompt (Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt) and navigate to where you saved "HelloWorldApp.java". To do this, type CD followed by the directory path. Here's a picture to show what I mean:
You should see your command prompt change
Type the following command and press Enter:
javac HelloWorldApp.java
This gives us a new class file
We run our new class file with the following command:
java HelloWorldApp
That's our first Java application!
