What is Java?

Java? What do I need to know about it?

Java is a technology from Sun which allows us to write onCourse for any operating system. It also allows us to use some remarkable open source technologies which form the heart of onCourse. It doesn’t cost anything to use, no matter what size company you have, and you probably have it installed on your computers already.

How can I tell if I have Java installed?

If you are running Mac OS X, then you already have Java installed.

If you are running Windows, then you can go to “Start” -> “Control Panel”. You should then find an item called “Java” if Java is installed.

If you are using Linux, BSD or other *nix like system, open a terminal window and type the command “which java” (without quotes) and hit return. If the command responds with a single listing (e.g., /usr/bin/java) then no problems.

Do I have the minimum requirements for onCourse?

Java 1.6 is the minimum version required for onCourse on Windows.

Mac users will need at least Mac OS X 10.4 or greater in order to obtain and/or use Java 1.5 as a minimum. Java 1.6 is only available for Mac OS X 10.5 and later. Simply run the Software Update to ensure you have the latest version of Java for your system.

Windows users can check which version of Java they have by going to “Start > Control Panel > Java” and then clicking on the “About…” button under the “About” tab.

If you need to install Java or would like to upgrade to the latest available, please follow this link and download the JDK

Or click on the image below for the Java Runtime Environment (JRE):

Get Java

Where can I download the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) or the Java Development Kit (JDK)?

For most systems, the Java Runtime Environment, or JRE, is available here. We recommend that you install the latest Java JDK. Please see below for more specific instructions for your operating system.

Alternatively, you can visit http://java.com to download and install Java. This page also let’s you verify whether Java is already installed on your system and, if so, what version you have installed. However this will only install allow you to install the Java Runtime Environment. Please see our other FAQ questions for a further explanation).

Please note: Mac OS X users will already have Java installed on your system. Please ensure that you system is up to date via “Apple menu > Software Update…”.

Step by step guide to installing Java on Windows

  1. Visit http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp
  2. Click on “Download” button next to “JDK 6u1”
  3. Accept licence agreement
  4. Click on “Windows Online Installation, Multi-language”
  5. Choose a location to save the file such as your desktop
  6. After the file is downloaded double click on it and follow the prompts

Step by step guide to installing Java on Linux

Please note: different linux distributions have different pathways, you can

  1. Visit http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp
  2. Click on “Download” button next to “JDK 6u1”
  3. Accept licence agreement
  4. Click on “Download” button next to “JDK 6u1” that’s suitable for your linux distribution
  5. Choose a location to save the file
  6. Use a package manager (like rpm, apt-get) or google for a solution suitable for your distribution

Step by step guide to installing Java on Mac OS X

Please note that the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is installed with Mac OS X. So to keep the JRE up to date:

  1. Choose Apple menu > Software update…
  2. Install any system and security updates relevant (especially any Java updates)
  3. That’s it!

Note that the JDK is not installed by default but is freely available by installing the Mac OS X developer tools. Updates to the developer tools are also freely available to any ADC member (which is free to join) http://developer.apple.com/. See also https://connect.apple.com/ for the latest developer tools updates.