CS 120: Computer Science I

OPTIONAL - Laboratory OLD - OPTIONAL

Installing the JDK on a Windows PC

Overview

This document briefly describes the procedure to install the Java Development Kit (JDK) on a Windows PC, as an aid to anyone wishing to run the JDK on their own. This is not required for CS120, and if you choose to install the JDK and work elsewhere you must assume responsibility for getting it to work, and dealing with any problems that arise as a result. The JDK is installed on the Suns in the Computer Science Laboratory, and your homework assignments will be graded on that system, so you are strongly encouraged to make sure your assignments compile and run correctly on the Suns.

Getting the JDK

Our textbook (Java Gently, 2nd edition, by Judy Bishop) is written for Java version 1.1, and as of August 1998 the CS Lab is running version 1.1.5 (the 5th release of version 1.1). There should be only minor differences in 1.1.3, 1.1.5, 1.1.6, etc. Version 1.2 may be significantly different; use it at your own risk!

The JDK software is over 8.5 MB in size, and the JDK documentation is over 3.0 MB; downloading over 11 MB may take a long time, depending on the speed of your Internet connection.

If you have a reasonably fast Internet connection, you can download the JDK directly from Sun Microsystems, at http://www.java.sun.com/products. Choose the current version of the JDK, which will probably be in boldface at the top of a section titled Development Kits and Runtimes. The next page will let you choose which hardware platform you wish to use (probably Win32). This should take you to a page where you can download the JDK Software and the JDK Documentation.

If you do not have a fast Internet connection, you can borrow a CD-ROM that has everything on it (many thanks to Connie Troiano for providing the CD-ROM), and copy the two files from the CD-ROM to your local hard disk. Please return the CD-ROM promptly so that other people can use it.

If you prefer to run Java under Linux, check out the Java Linux page at http://java.blackdown.org/java-linux.html. The setup for Java under Linux is somewhat different than under Windows, so you're on your own. Good luck!

Installing the JDK

However you obtained them, you should now have two large files containing the JDK and documentation. Their names should look something like jdk116-win32.exe (for the JDK) and jdk116-doc.zip (for the documentation).

To install the JDK, execute the .exe file (probably by double-clicking on it). Windows will take you through the installation process one step at a time; the default answers should be OK. Be sure to read the notes at the end of the installation; they tell you how to modify your path so you can run the JDK.

To install the documentation archive you will need a program like Stuffit Expander, which converts the .zip file into a directory containing all of the documentation. Sometimes the operating system can't unpack all of the documentation; it complains that pathnames may be too long. You shouldn't need the documentation very much for CS 120, since we're not going to be using many of the specialized packages. The documentation is also available over the WWW if you can't install it locally on your computer.

Running the JDK

Once you have the JDK and have set your path correctly, you should be able to open an MS-DOS Prompt window (from the Programs menu), and run javac and java just like you use a Terminal window under Unix. Like Unix, you will need to use a text editor to create and save your files in a directory somewhere, and then use the MS-DOS window to compile and run your program. Choose your text editor carefully; some editors automatically append a particular suffix to your file. Other students have had trouble with Word and WordPad, and have had success with Edit (under DOS). If you aren't familiar with DOS commands, you should consult your documentation; some of the commands are similar to Unix commands, but there are also numerous differences.

Summary

This page has provided an overview of how to obtain and install the JDK on a Windows PC. If you decide to do this, you are responsible for making it work, and for dealing with any problems that arrive. If you have suggestions for improving this tutorial, please let me know.

This page is NOT maintained and is here simply for information purposes.