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Introducing the JavaTM PlatformBefore you can develop an application written in the JavaTM programming language, you will need the JavaTM 2 Platform Standard Edition (J2SE) development kit. It has the necessary Java Virtual Machine1 (JVM), core Application Programming Interfaces (API)s, and the compiler you'll need for most and perhaps all of your development. Note: Mac users should go to The Outlaw Cafe: A Site Devoted to Java Development on the Mac or Apple's An Introduction to Java Programming. Then return for Java programming information and tutorials. For some projects, you'll want additional bundles. Some of the more popular downloads are listed below. If you're not certain what you need, start with J2SE. You'll discover other tools as you become familiar with the Java platform.
While applets and applications usually have some kind of user interface coupled to backend functionality, servlets provide backend functionality only. The user interface for a servlet is usually an HTML form in a browser that invokes the servlet, but any applet or application that opens a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request can call a servlet. JSP, on the other hand, combines the servlet and HTML into a single component. Instead of using an HTML page with a separate servlet, you use an HTML page with regular HTML tags in combination with scriptlets, short bits of code. The entire page is then processed into a servlet when it's accessed or submitted and the results return to the same HTML page that contains the code. Java programs run on JVMs in other places too. For example, PersonalJavaTM applications power home appliances, Java CardTM applications run on smart cards, smart rings, and other devices with limited memory, and Java TVTM applications run in television settop boxes. When you download the J2SE or J2EE, you have the APIs and tools you need to write enterprise-worthy applets, applications, and servlets. To add specialized functionality, such as data encryption, or 3D graphics, you need to download additional APIs and tools, optional packages. You can find a list of currently supported optional packages on the Products & APIs page of the java.sun.com web site. The servlet API is a standard extension that comes with the Java 2 SDK download. When a newer version of this package is avilable ahead of the next Java 2 SDK release, it is made available by separate download through the Early Access Program. Once you've downloaded the development kit you've chosen, see Getting Started for detailed instructions on how to set up your Solaris, Windows, or Mac environment. The Products & APIs page of the java.sun.com web site provides links to information and software for all currently available Java 2 SDK products.
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