CSC 108H

Java and our IDE

In CSC108H, we teach programming using the programming language Java. To develop programs, we use the Metrowerks CodeWarrior integrated development environment or IDE.

We will continue to use CodeWarrior as our IDE until the end of the winter session 2001.

We may very well continue to use it afterwards, but that isn't guaranteed.

Here we'll point out some things you might want to know about Java and CodeWarrior.

Things about Java

That is, some points you should be aware of concerning the programming language itself. These things would be true even if you were using another IDE.

How to compare strings.
How to read doubles as input.
What's a "deprecated API"?
Why it's a problem to have two BufferedReaders.

Not exactly Java

These points are not exactly about the Java language, but they don't fit very well anywhere else:

How to run applets from your web browser. (That is, we answer the question, "Why can't I run the applets that I wrote?")
How to use the "Print Java assignment" command that is required for submitting your programming assignments from CDF-PC on the St. George campus only. At the Mississauga and Scarborough campuses, there are similar but not identical arrangements.

Things about CodeWarrior

Here we mention some things you might want to know about CodeWarrior. These points do not directly affect the programs you write, but they affect how you write them.

Can I do my programming at home?
- Yes, if you have your own copy of CodeWarrior, you can work at home. The "Doing your work" handout tells you more about how to do this. Essentially, you need to buy CodeWarrior and get a copy of the Java Development Kit. We'll tell you about CodeWarrior and then about the JDK.
Which version of CodeWarrior are we using?
- "Release 6" of either CodeWarrior Professional or CodeWarrior Professional for Java. The "for Java" product is cheaper, because it doesn't allow you to develop C and C++ programs too, as the other does. For a student, in fact, CodeWarrior Professional for Java is a lot cheaper, because you can get a mail-in discount coupon when you buy the product on-campus. With the discount, CodeWarrior Professional for Java should cost under $100, while CodeWarrior Professional costs quite a lot more. You can also get a Code Warrior Learning Edition 2.0 which is probably the best choice for a 108 student.
What are the system requirements?
- If you're using a Windows 95 or 98 system, you need at least 32 MB of RAM -- and preferably 64 MB -- and 80 MB of disk space.
Where can I get it?
- The bookstore on your campus should have copies.

The local CodeWarrior stationery

To follow the instructions in the PC handbook, How to prepare programs on the Computer Science PC facility, you need "stationery" that isn't one of the CodeWarrior standards. To download a copy, click here.

(And yes, stationery is spelled with an 'e'. Look it up.)

The Java Development Kit

To run CodeWarrior, you also have to have the Java Development Kit or JDK that Sun Microsystems (the originator of Java) provides for free. When you buy CodeWarrior, you get a version of the JDK on the CD-ROM.

Alternatively, you can download the most up-to-date version of the JDK from Sun's own web site:

Java Development Kit (JDK)

You should make sure to download the documentation, too. But be prepared to leave your modem on overnight: these products are not small!

Other Java products

Java is popular among developers using the web, and you'll find a lot of products promoted or offered for free on the web. If you really want to, you can use these things instead of CodeWarrior or the JDK, but you'll need to make sure that the format of the work you submit for marking is acceptable to your marker.

Although we recommend using CodeWarrior if you're working at home, you may want to know about alternative IDEs. Here are some links:

e-academy.com, an on-line source of many different software products, including CodeWarrior Professional at a price competitive with the bookstore's. They don't seem to sell CodeWarrior Professional for Java, however.
The Java Development Kit (JDK), mentioned above. This is a bare-bones set of tools that you'll probably only be comfortable with if you have some previous experience in programming.
- A tutorial on using the JDK.
Kawa, a commercial IDE that you can try out for free for 30 days. After that, it costs money.
NetBeans, another commercial product, but one that now seems to be free or nearly free. It would require a quite powerful computer to run with reasonable performance.
VisualAge for Java, an IBM product that has a version you can use permanently for free. The free version is somewhat limited compared with the "professional" version, but not in a way that will affect you in this course. On the other hand, its way of producing source (Java-language) files is somewhat unusual and would take some getting used to.

If you find other products you'd like us to list here, please send e-mail to clarke@cs.utoronto.ca