Setting up the Java Development Kit and Eclipse on a Windows Computer:

Installing the Java JDK

Follow this link: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html.

Look for the following text (you may see a minor release number uXX following the 7):

Click the Download button for the JDK download (not the JRE).

You will now see a license agreement. Click to accept it. You have to do this or the following link won’t work.

Click the link for your particular computer setup. If you are running Windows XP or Windows 7, select jdk-7-windows-i586.exe.

Run the .exe file you just downloaded and install the default options (no need to change anything). When asked where to install, accept the installer’s suggestion and click Next. It will do mysterious things for a while.

Click Finish.

If asked, you don’t have to register anything—you’re done with the JDK install.

Installing Eclipse

Click this link: http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/download.php?file=/technology/epp/downloads/release/juno/SR1/eclipse-java-juno-SR1-win32.zip

and then click . If asked, save the zip file somewhere on your computer (the location is not important for this file).

Open the Zip file when the download finishes. Depending on your operating system, you can either double-click it or right click and select Open.

Extract all of the files in the zip file to a convenient folder. You can install to anywhere you like. I put mine in a folder called C:\Program Files\Eclipse (I made an Eclipse folder in Program Files).

You will probably want to make a shortcut for Eclipse. One way to do that is to navigate into the Eclipse folder, right-click the Eclipse.exe icon, click Create Shortcut, and then drag the shortcut out to your desktop or wherever else you want to put it. You can now start Eclipse by double-clicking on the shortcut.

For Mac users only: I found this link that describes an installation process for Eclipse. I do not have a Mac environment to test it but you might want to give it a try. It covers an installation of the Helios version but the Indigo version should install identically. The installation of the JDK should be the same for both Mac and PC users. Good luck and let me know if this helps. If it does, I’ll formalize the instructions for future classes.