Since Java is the most used programming language, it users keeps increasing exponentially year after year. People who are new to Java are often confused about whether or not to use the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) or the Java Development Kit (JDK). To successfully run Java applications or applets, you just have to download the JDK. Be that as it may, but to develop Java applications or applets and to run them, the JDK is required.
Initially, Java developers are provided with two Java Development Kit (JDK) tools namely java and javac. These two tools run from the command prompt. Once you complete writing a java source code, the source files are saved with the extension of .java. These are just considered as simple text files. Once this is done, javac, which is a java only compiler, is then invoked to create .class files. After the creation of .class files is completed, the prompt java command is used to run the Java program. If you are a student or new to Java, it is highly suggested to learn Java first.
If you are an experienced developer who wants to work in an IDE (Integrated Development Environment), he or she can just download a JDK bundled with Netbeans. IDEs are typically used to speed up the development process with the help of their unique features such as "drag and drop" and "point and click" while creating a new Java application. Since Java is platform independent programming language, different types of JDK is available for various platforms. The most famous supported platforms are Windows, Solaris and Linux. For Macintosh users, they need completely different software development kit that includes adaptations of tools in the Java Development kit.
