NetBeans can be downloaded from http://www.netbeans.org.
At the time of writing, NetBeans 6.5 is in beta, by publication time it should be the current version. To download NetBeans we need to click on the button labeled Download NetBeans IDE. Clicking on this button will take us to a page displaying all of NetBeans download bundles.
NetBeans download bundles contain different NetBeans Packs that provide different levels of functionality. The following table summarizes the different available NetBeans packs and describes the functionality they provide.
Note
These packs can also be installed at a later date into an existing NetBeans installation by installing the appropriate plugins.
|
NetBeans Pack |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Java |
Includes features for development of Java Standard Edition applications, as well as web and Java Enterprise Edition and mobile applications. |
|
Ruby |
Includes features for development of applications written in the Ruby language. |
|
C/C++ |
Includes features for development of applications written in the C or C++ languages. |
|
PHP |
Includes features for development of PHP applications. |
|
All |
Includes functionality of all NetBeans packs. |
To follow the examples in this book, either the Java or the All Pack is needed.
Note
The screenshots in this book were taken with the All Pack. NetBeans may look slightly different if the Java Pack is used, particularly, some menu items might be missing.
The following platforms are officially supported:
Additionally, NetBeans can be used under any platform containing JDK 5.0 or newer. To download a version of NetBeans to be used under one of these platforms, an OS independent version of NetBeans is available for download.
Note
Although the OS-independent version of NetBeans can be executed in all of the supported platforms, it is recommended to obtain the platform-specific version of NetBeans for your platform.
The NetBeans download page should detect the operating system being used to access it, and the appropriate platform should be selected by default. If this is not the case, or if you are downloading NetBeans with the intention of installing it in another workstation on another platform, the correct platform can be selected from the drop-down labeled, appropriately enough, Platform.
Once the correct platform has been selected, we need to click on the appropriate download button for the NetBeans pack we wish to install; for Java EE development, we need either the Java or the All Pack. NetBeans will then be downloaded to a directory of our choosing.
Note
Java EE applications need to be deployed to an application server. Several application servers exist in the market, both the Java and the All NetBeans Packs come with GlassFish bundled. GlassFish is a 100 percent Java EE compliant application server. We will be using the bundled GlassFish application server to deploy and execute our examples.