Technical requirements

Before diving into the magical world of Java programming, let’s ensure you have the right hardware. If your hardware doesn’t meet these requirements, don’t worry; online alternatives are discussed later in this chapter. If you are using your work laptop, make sure that you have download rights. Here’s a brief overview of the requirements:

• Operating system: Java can run on various operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. Ensure that you have a recent version of one of these operating systems installed on your computer.
• Java Development Kit (JDK): To compile and run Java programs, you’ll need the JDK installed on your system. The JDK includes the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), which contains the necessary libraries and components for running Java applications. We’ll see how to install this later.
• System resources: More is always better, but Java isn’t too demanding. It doesn’t require high-end hardware, but it’s still a good idea to have a system with sufficient resources for a smooth development experience. The following are the minimum and recommended system requirements:
  • Minimum requirements:
    • CPU: 1 GHz or faster processor
    • RAM: 2 GB
    • Disk space: 1 GB (for JDK installation and additional files)
  • Recommended requirements:
    • CPU: 2 GHz or faster multi-core processor
    • RAM: 4 GB or more
    • Disk space: 2 GB or more (for JDK installation, additional files, and projects)

Keep in mind that these requirements may change with future updates to the JDK and related tools. We have placed the files in a GitHub repository. You can clone the projects with the use of Git and import them to your computer this way. It’s beyond the scope of explaining how to use Git here but it’s recommended to look into it independently. You can access the files and examples used in this book here: https://github.com/PacktPublishing/Learn-Java-with-Projects.