Installing an IDE

In this book we will be using NetBeans as our IDE. There are other popular IDEs too, such as Eclipse and IntelliJ IDEA. You can use a different IDE if you wish, however in this chapter we will assume that you are using NetBeans. No matter which IDE you choose, the Java code will be the same. Therefore as long as you set it up properly, you can use any IDE for the remaining chapters. If you are fairly new to programming then I suggest using NetBeans for now. After you are more comfortable with programming, I suggest you try other IDEs and choose the one you prefer.

The NetBeans IDE can be downloaded from http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/. Downloading the program from Oracle will also allow us to download the required Java Development Kit (JDK) at the same time. You will see several download links. Click on the NetBeans link to visit the JDK 7 + NetBeans download page. Once you select Accept License Agreement you will be allowed to download the software. The download link is located in a table similar to the one shown in the following image:

If your PC has a 64-bit Windows operating system then you will want to use the link corresponding to Windows x64. If your PC has a 32-bit Windows operating system or you are unsure if it's 64-bit or 32-bit then download the Windows x86 version.

Once it has finished downloading, install the software. During the installation process you may be asked about installing JUnit. We will not be using JUnit so you should select Do not install JUnit. In the next few screens of the installer, it will ask where you want to install the two software. The default settings will be fine, you can simply click on Next.