Learning Java - Setting up a development environment

Here is a brief summary of the software that needs to be setup so as to experiment with Java.

JRE - Java Runtime Environment. The famed "Java Virtual Machine" (JVM) on which Java bytecode runs is included in the JRE. Every computer/device that can run Java programs will have the JRE installed. The JVM can be invoked using the "java" command.

JDK - Java Development Kit. This is a bundle of software which has all the essential tools needed by a developer to create new Java programs. By Java programs I mean the bytecode that a JVM can run. The most important part of the JDK is the compiler itself; called the "javac". It is the javac that converts the source code (the .java files that is essentially text) to .class files that contain the bytecode.

With this background I invite you to patiently go through the nice little tutorial http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/getStarted/cupojava/win32.html (For Windows users)

The above tutorial doesn't introduce an IDE like Eclipe/NetBeans; but I think, as shown in the tutorial, its a very good learning experience to start by using the required tools on the command-line. Once the concepts become clear, you can move onto an IDE and make use of its productivity features.