Java is maintained and developed by Oracle
NOTE: Do not install onto a laptop that is FULL of movies and games. You hard drive must not be more than 70% full. Delete . . . Apple is not recommended because the textbooks, tutorials and notes are all based on a Windows computer. This is a big problem for your final year matric PAT project as getting help with SQL drivers can be a problem.
ONE
First you need to install one of the Long Term Support (LTS) versions of Java i.e. Java JDK 8, 11 or 17 (do not install 7 or 21). You need the standard version called “SE”.
You need to install Java on your computer (not your phone or tablet).
If you have a computer that is a few years old JDK 8 is perfect, even for your final year PAT project.
The links below are for Java JDK 8.2 which comes with NetBeans as an option.
Here is a link to download 64-bit Java SE (no Netbeans). The download is about 200Mb.
Here is a link to download 64-bit Java SE with Netbeans. The download is about 350Mb.
Here is a link to download 32 bit Java SE and NetBeans. The download is about 200Mb. It automatically includes NetBeans so install that as well.
If you have a computer less than 2 years old and have Windows 11 installed, and you have at least 8Gb of RAM, then you can install Java JDK 17. Use this link below but return to this page afterwards for information about the IDE you should use.
TWO
Now you need an Integrated Development Platform (IDE) i.e. a software program that assists you to create your source code. For novice coders using JDK 8 use the older version of jGRASP which you can download using the links below. (version 2.0.5).
Here is a link to download jGRASP. (For Windows)
Here is a link to download jGRASP (For Mac)
If you are using JDK 17 then you can use the latest version of jGRASP which is 2.0.6 which you can download from the jGRASP.org website.
Once downloaded, click on it to install. Accept all the default settings.
THREE
For coders in their second year of study we use the IDE called NetBeans here in South African schools. JDK 8 ships with a copy of NetBeans but if you want to use JDK 17 you must down NetBeans 17 from the apache website. Here is the website link below . . .
Click here for Apache NetBeans 17
For second year students having a copy of jGRASP is still very useful because you can use it to quickly test algorithms without the hassle of projects and packages which NetBeans requires.
NOTE: IMPORTANT: When coding with NetBeans 17 choose “Ant” and not “Maven”
For more information about Java SE