Getting Started with Java

Technology Overview

Java is a modern object-oriented programming language used by millions of developers worldwide. Java has a few different roles in Mac OS X:

• Java is a first-class framework for Mac OS X, allowing you to distribute your existing Java applications to Mac OS X users. In this role it allows you to easily bring cross-platform applications over to the Macintosh.

• Java language bindings are available for some Mac OS X technologies.

• WebObjects provides Java frameworks for building industrial-strength web-based applications.

Start Here

Before you begin developing Java software in Mac OS X, learn about the Java technologies available in Mac OS X by looking at the following Apple websites:

• The Java and Java developer topic pages to familiarize yourself with how Java is integrated into Mac OS X.

• The WebObjects topic page to learn how WebObjects leverages existing Java technologies.

• The Cocoa developer topic page to learn whether or not you want to write your Cocoa applications with Java.

Choose A Learning Path

If you do not know how to program with Java, you need to learn how. If you want to develop Java applications for multiple platforms, you need to learn about the cross-platform technologies supported by Mac OS X. If you want to deploy Java applications on Mac OS X only, you need to learn about developing Mac OS X-specific desktop applications. If you develop or deploy Java-based applications on servers, you need to learn about developing and deploying server-based applications.

Learning How to Program with Java

Apple’s Java technologies assume that you already know how to program with Java. If you are not already familiar with Java programming, Sun’s Java Technology website has many useful links for learning the language, including The Java Tutorial. Many other third-party resources are also available. If you are learning to program Java on Mac OS X, also see the Java on Mac OS X FAQ to help you use the information provided by Sun and others.

Developing Cross-Platform Desktop Applications

If you develop cross-platform Java 2, Standard Edition (J2SE) applications with J2SE 1.4.2 or J2SE 5.0 and plan to deploy them on Mac OS X, read Java Development Guide for Mac OS X for an understanding of how Java development on Mac OS X differs from development on other platforms.

Developing Mac OS X–Specific Desktop Applications

If you are developing applications for Mac OS X but want to write them in Java:

• To learn about developing and deploying your J2SE applications in Mac OS X, read Java Development Guide for Mac OS X, especially the article Native Platform Integration.

• To learn about the Mac OS X environment and what Macintosh users expect in applications, read Apple Human Interface Guidelines, especially Menus, Windows (including dialogs), Controls, and Layout Examples.

• To learn about developing Cocoa Java applications, read Cocoa Tutorial for Java Programmers.

Developing and Deploying Server-based Applications

If you plan to deploy Java server-based applications, you have two solutions built into Mac OS X Server. (Mac OS X has no built-in Java server solutions.) MacOS X Server includes the JBoss server and the WebObjects application server. Both allow you deploy Java 2, Enterprise Edition applications. WebObjects provides additional benefits by allowing you to take advantage of WebObjects-specific application frameworks.

• To learn more about the JBoss application server included with Mac OS X Server, read Mac OS X Java Application Server Administration and see the JBoss website.

• To learn more about WebObjects, read Getting Started with WebObjects.

Next Steps

The Java Reference Library includes the following high-level resource pages, which can be bookmarked for easy access:

• Guides

  Conceptual and how-to information for Java.

• Reference

  Focused, detailed descriptions in reference format for Java APIs.

• Release Notes

  Release notes for the various Java releases.

• Sample Code

  Sample applications demonstrating a wide variety of Java API and techniques. If you have installed the developer package or the Xcode CD, you might also want to check out the projects examples in/Developer/Examples/Java.

• Technical Notes

  Late-breaking documents on issues related to Java.

• Technical Q&As

  Programming tips, code snippets, and FAQs by Apple’s support engineers.

• Mailing Lists

  The Java Development (java-dev) mailing list is an excellent place to discuss programming issues or topics with fellow Java developers.

These additional resource pages may also be helpful:

• Documentation

  Sun’s developer documentation on Java.