Setting up your computer for CS305J and CS307

The TIP staff, along with the help of the TIP CS mentors, has provided you with a quick tutorial on how to set up your computer to develop software in Java, the primary language you will be using to write programs in CS 305J and CS 307. You will be using Java throughout those courses as well as throughout the CS program here at UT. To get a head start, here are instructions to set your computer up to write programs in Java.

If you are using Linux, chances are you do not need this tutorial, but here are instructions for installing the Java SDK. If you are using a Macintosh, the Java SDK is already installed on your machine as long as your operating system is up to date.

Here is a link to the latest Java update for Mac OS X.

To set up your Windows machine:

1. Make sure your Windows operating system is up-to-date. In the Start menu, choose "Windows Update" and proceed with the instructions given.
2. Visit http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp to download the latest stable JDK (Please do not install any beta software). The latest JDK should be near the top of the list. Click the "Download" button.
3. On the next page, choose "Windows" from the "Platform" drop-down menu, check the box to agree to the License Agreement, and click "Continue". On the next page, check the box for "Windows Offline Installation" and click the "Download Selected" button.
4. After downloading, click the file installer to start the installation process.
5. After installing the JDK, we recommend downloading and installing BlueJ, a simple Interactive Development Environment (IDE) geared to students learning Java, or Eclipse, a more powerful, but more complex IDE.

We suggest you use BlueJ if you have never written a program before as it is more beginner friendly.

Here is a tutorial for setting up and running Java programs using BlueJ. If you are using Eclipse, a tutorial will be available the first time you run the program. Feel free to take advantage of the time you have this summer to search the web for tutorials on writing programs in Java. Have a great summer and happy coding!

Another helpful link is the Java Really Big Tutorial.