In this chapter, we will install all the necessary (free!) software that we will be using throughout the book to build applications using Oracle Application Development Framework (ADF). We'll need:

For the purposes of this book, we will be using the popular and free MySQL database. However, you can run Oracle ADF Essentials applications on any other SQL database—so if you're a PostgreSQL fan, you don't have to change. You can also use commercial databases—Oracle is offering Oracle Database Express Edition if you are looking for a free version of an enterprise product.

Similarly, you can run your ADF Essentials application on any JEE application server. This book will describe how to use GlassFish, but you could also use other open source JEE servers like JBoss or commercial offerings like Oracle WebLogic.

As our development tool, we will be using Oracle's preferred development tool, Oracle JDeveloper. This free tool is currently the only supported way of building Oracle ADF Essentials applications, but Oracle is working on supporting ADF Essentials as part of their Oracle Enterprise Pack for Eclipse (OEPE) product.