Software for CIT 591

CIT 591 Software
Fall 2005, David Matuszek

All necessary software will be available in the computer labs. However, most students find it more convenient to use their own computer. You can fairly easily move your work back and forth between computers, as needed.

To use your own computer, you will need to install the following (free) software and documentation. You can use newer versions of the software, if available.

Windows or Linux:

J2SE 5.0, http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/download.jsp
- You should download from the JDK (Java Development Kit) link, not the JRE (Java Runtime Environment) link. You need both, but the JDK includes the JRE. (The JDK is required to create Java programs, while the JRE is required to run them.)
J2SE 5.0 Documentation, same location as above.
BlueJ 2.0.5, http://www.bluej.org
- Install the Java SDK before you install BlueJ!

Macintosh:

If you have MacOS X, you already have the Java SDK installed on your computer. To be sure you have the latest version for your OS, go online, open System Preferences, and choose Software Update. (If you are running Jaguar, you really should upgrade to Panther; one advantage is that you get a newer, better version of Java.)

BlueJ 2.0.5, http://www.bluej.org
- Install the JDK before you install BlueJ!

BlueJ is a very simple IDE (Interactive Development Environment) for beginners. You already have a very nice professional-level IDE on your Mac, called either Project Builder (Jaguar version) or XCode (Panther version). You can learn to use this if you like, however, you will also need to use BlueJ for class assignments.