Part Zero: Setting up your Development Environment

If you've already got your feet wet with a little Java development, you can probably skip this post, but I'd still recommend skimming it so you've got an idea of what I'll be working with.

Alrighty, so, what do you need to do these tutorials?

• A computer, any fairly new machine will do.
• A JDK (Java Development Kit). On Windows, the the official Sun--I mean Oracle-- JDK is probably the best way to go, find it here. (You need the Java SE JDK, not the JRE or the Jave EE JDK. Yeah it can be a bit confusing.) If you're on a Linux or BSD machine, try searching your distro's package repository first. I believe there're alternatives to the official JDK, but use the official one unless you know what you're doing.
• (optional) an IDE, such as NetBeans or Eclipse. I don't use one personally, but they can be very helpful.

Got all that? Great.

From here out, I'm going to assume you know how to compile and run your Java code.

I'll also assume you've got at least a basic knowledge of Java syntax, at least enough to make a "Hello World" program.

I recommend you make a folder named "java programs" or somesuch, a central place to keep all your projects. Your IDE may have a method of separating projects.