Introduction

The Java Platform, Standard Edition (or Java SE, formerly known as J2SE) for Mac OS X provides a Java environment that is highly integrated with Mac OS X. This integration brings together the Java platform’s versatility and Mac OS X’s advanced technologies to offer users a wider selection of applications and developers a first-class development and deployment platform.

Mac OS X version 10.5 includes J2SE 5.0 right out of the box and provides Java SE 6 as a free software update. Combined, these Java distributions open up the entire Mac user base to Java application and applet developers, and conversely, the world of Java applications to Mac OS X users.

While Java's promise of “write once, run anywhere” is true on Mac OS X, there are a number of things you should do to ensure that your application's user experience adheres to conventions and behaviors that Mac users have come to expect from their applications. This document seeks to highlight these methods so you can spend your time writing applications instead of troubleshooting.

Who Should Read This Document?

This document is for the Java developer interested in writing Java applications in Mac OS X v10.5 with J2SE 5.0 or Java SE 6. This document is primarily for developers of pure Java applications, but it may also be useful for WebObjects development.

This is not a tutorial for the Java language. This document assumes you have a basic understanding of Java development and Java development environments. Many resources exist in print and on the web for learning the Java programming language. If you are new to programming in Java, you may want to start with one of Sun’s tutorials available online at http://java.sun.com/learning/new2java/.

Organization of This Document

This guide contains the following articles:

“Overview of Java for Mac OS X” describes the Java platforms available on Mac OS X.
“Apple Developer Tools for Java” introduces you to the Apple suite of developer tools, along with recommended tools from other manufacturers.
“Java Deployment Options for Mac OS X” discusses how you can distribute your Java application on Mac OS X.
“Mac OS X Integration for Java” provides you with some handy tips for making your Java application act and feel more like a native Mac OS X application.
“User Interface Toolkits for Java” shows you the different user interface elements common in Mac OS X.
“Core Java APIs and the Java Runtime on Mac OS X” discusses the how core Java APIs vary on Mac OS X.

Filing and Tracking Bugs

If you find issues with the implementation of Java that are not covered in this document or you want to follow the resolution of an issue, you may do so online through Radar, Apple’s bug tracking system. To access Radar, you need an Apple Developer Connection (ADC) account. You can view the ADC membership options, including the free online membership, at http://developer.apple.com/membership/. With an ADC membership, you can file and view bugs at http://bugreport.apple.com/. When filing new bugs for Java in Mac OS X, please use Java (new bugs) for Component and X as Version.

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Introduction

Contents:

Who Should Read This Document?

Organization of This Document

See Also

Filing and Tracking Bugs