Download Java on your PC

Java is a powerful object oriented language developed by Sun Microsystems, which is fast becoming the language of choice for many applications, particularly the building of graphical user interfaces and constructing animations for websites (so called java applets). Its great advantages are its rich functionality and its universal portability - a compiled java code will run on any other machine that hosts java, without recompilation!

It is a simple and instructive procedure to download and install java on your PC. The code is free from the host Sun site and will greatly enhance your ability to do useful things with your PC. Java applications will feature in the Summer School, though you won't be required to write any code.

Procedure

1. Using your web browser go to the Sun Java website: http://java.sun.com/. (It's a good idea to save this address among your favourites.)
2. Locate the `Popular Downloads' panel on the home web page. A number of options are available for the J2SE Software Development Kit (SDK), which is what you need if you want to write programs. You may select the most recent version (the one with the highest version number), but you may go for the previous version, which is likely to be a more stable platform for your code development. J2SE 1.4.2 SDK is currently the one in that category. Click on the hypertext for this, which will take you to the next page.
3. On the new page, click the J2SE SDK version of your choice. You will be taken to a licence page requesting that you read the terms of the software licence. You must click to signal your acceptance of these terms to be able to proceed further. If you do this you will come to the `Download Center'.
4. On the Download Center page, you may select a version specific to your machine (which I assume is a PC). You may also chose between an online install, which will install the software while you wait, or a download, which will download a file for you to install later. Just click your option and follow the instructions! (Accept all the offered defaults in the installation, no harm will result. I always do!)