System requirements
Even though most of the
tools we will be using are written in Java, and the language we are
using is Java, the system requirements still say that a Windows system
is needed. This is because not ALL of the tools are written in Java and
are therefore not portable. Specifically, the Simulators, which are an integral part of developing an application, are not portable and are Windows specific. We require:
Windows 2000 SP1, Windows XP, or Windows Vista
512MB of RAM
500MB of disk space
Java
v6 update 16 (32-bit) (older versions of the JDE may work with older
JDK versions, but it is best to get the latest version)
Development Environments
The
first and original option is called the BlackBerry Java Development
Environment or JDE for short. The JDE is a custom development
environment created by RIM for the sole purpose of developing
applications in Java for BlackBerry handhelds. This customized nature is
both good and bad. On the one hand, you have an environment where you
can do everything you need to do, and nothing more, which can lead to a
concise and simple environment. On the other hand, simplicity also means
lack of power, and some users may find this to be frustrating.
The second option is to use the BlackBerry Eclipse plugin. Eclipse
is an open source IDE that has become the de facto industry standard
for Java development. There is a large maintenance team and new features
are added to it regularly. The open source nature of it means that the
program is largely stable and bug free. However, because it can be used
for a wide variety of projects, there are tools and other capabilities
that won't be used when working on BlackBerry projects, and this can
lead to confusion.
We will focus on developing applications using the BlackBerry
Eclipse plugin. Because Eclipse is a more common platform, getting help
and support should be easier if there are problems. Eclipse is faster,
more responsive, and offers more features. Developers with Java
experience are more likely to have already used it and this helps to get
started quickly.
Downloading and installing Java
Java is required to run both Eclipse and the JDE because they are written using Java. This is handled by the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), but we also need another important component. Compiling the applications that we will be making is handled by the Java Development Kit
(JDK), so we also need to make sure that this is installed.
Fortunately, we don't have to install two separate packages; the JDK
installer also includes the JRE, which makes things a little bit easier.
As you can see, the first order of business is to download and install the latest Java JDK, if it isn't already installed.
The latest BlackBerry
SDK only requires Java 6 Update 16. However, it is always best to
install the latest version. All updates in the Java 6 family should be
backward compatible.
Time for action - downloading the Java Development Kit
There
are many versions of Java, and if you are unfamiliar with the various
flavors, this can be confusing. To be more specific, you need to
download and install the Java SE SDK without any other bundles. You
will need version 6 Update 20, which is the latest version at the time
of this writing. The latest versions can be found at http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/.
The
next step is to select which version of the JDK is to be downloaded.
The drop list offers choices for many common systems and environments.
You want to make sure to select the "Windows" version. You must also
check the I agree checkbox before continuing.
You may be tempted to select the Windows x64
option if you are running Windows Vista x64 or Windows 7 x64. The
BlackBerry SDK does not support 64-bit operating systems, so even if you
have a 64-bit operating system, select the standard Windows 32-bit
version. You can do development on 64-bit versions of Windows, but the
SDK will operate in 32-bit compatibility mode.
Upon clicking the Download
button, a browser dialog will be shown asking you to log into a Sun
Online Account. This step isn't required and even though it says Optional in the title bar, the>>Skip this Step
link at the bottom of the dialog is easy to miss. You can create an
account if you like, but there are no drawbacks to skipping the process
either.
The next page gives you the actual download links to begin the download process. You can click on the link jdk-6u20-windows-i586.exe and download it directly using your browser, or you can check the checkbox and click on the red Download Selected with Sun Download Manager button. Using the download manager will allow you to pause and resume a download in process.
What just happened?
Obviously, if you are going to
be doing Java development, then you need the proper software installed
to compile and run Java applications. This process can be surprisingly
confusing because of the number of different install packages that are
available. You need the basic (or Standard Edition) version of the JDK
in order to accomplish your goals.
Once
the file has completed downloading (either by doing a standard download
or using the Sun Download Manager), execute the file to start the
installation. In either case, navigate a File Explorer window to the
location you downloaded the file to and double-click on the file jdk-6u20-windows-i586.exe.
