Which one should I install when I want to start learning Java? I'm going to start with some basics, so I will write simple programs that create files, directories, edit XML files and so on, nothing too complex for now.
I guess Java SE (Standard Edition) is the one I should install on my Windows 7 desktop. I already have Komodo IDE which I will use to write the Java code.
14 Answers
Java SE = Standard Edition. This is the core Java programming platform. It contains all of the libraries and APIs that any Java programmer should learn (java.lang, java.io, java.math, java.net, java.util, etc...).
Java EE = Enterprise Edition. From Wikipedia:
The Java platform (Enterprise Edition) differs from the Java Standard Edition Platform (Java SE) in that it adds libraries which provide functionality to deploy fault-tolerant, distributed, multi-tier Java software, based largely on modular components running on an application server.
In other words, if your application demands a very large scale, distributed system, then you should consider using Java EE. Built on top of Java SE, it provides libraries for database access (JDBC, JPA), remote method invocation (RMI), messaging (JMS), web services, XML processing, and defines standard APIs for Enterprise JavaBeans, servlets, portlets, Java Server Pages, etc...
Java ME = Micro Edition. This is the platform for developing applications for mobile devices and embedded systems such as set-top boxes. Java ME provides a subset of the functionality of Java SE, but also introduces libraries specific to mobile devices. Because Java ME is based on an earlier version of Java SE, some of the new language features introduced in Java 1.5 (e.g. generics) are not available.
If you are new to Java, definitely start with Java SE.
Here are some differences in terms of APIs
Java SE includes has the following APIs and many more
- applet
- awt
- rmi
- jdbc
- swing
- collections
- xml binding
- JavaFX (Merged to Java SE 8)
- Java 8 Collections Streaming API
- Java 9 Reactive Streams API
- Java 9 HTTP/2 API
Java EE includes the following APIs and many more
- servlet
- websocket
- java faces
- dependency injection
- ejb
- persistence
- transaction
- jms
- batch api
Java ME includes the following APIs and many more
- Wireless Messaging
- Java ME Web Services
- Security and Trust Services API
- Location
- Mobile XML API
Hope this helps.
Java SE is the foundation on which Java EE is built.
Java ME is a subset of SE for mobile devices.
So you should install Java SE for your project.
According to the Oracle's documentation, there are actually four Java platforms:
- Java Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE)
- Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE)
- Java Platform, Micro Edition (Java ME)
- JavaFX
Java SE is for developing desktop applications and it is the foundation for developing in Java language. It consists of development tools, deployment technologies, and other class libraries and toolkits used in Java applications. Java EE is built on top of Java SE, and it is used for developing web applications and large-scale enterprise applications. Java ME is a subset of the Java SE. It provides an API and a small-footprint virtual machine for running Java applications on small devices. JavaFX is a platform for creating rich internet applications using a lightweight user-interface API. It is a recent addition to the family of Java platforms.
Strictly speaking, these platforms are specifications; they are norms, not software. The Java Platform, Standard Edition Development Kit (JDK) is an official implementation of the Java SE specification, provided by Oracle. There are also other implementations, like OpenJDK and IBM's J9.
People new to Java download a JDK for their platform and operating system (Oracle's JDK is available for download here.)
As I come across this question, I found the information provided on the Oracle's tutorial very complete and worth to share:
The Java Programming Language Platforms
There are four platforms of the Java programming language:
Java Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE)
Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE)
Java Platform, Micro Edition (Java ME)
JavaFX
All Java platforms consist of a Java Virtual Machine (VM) and an application programming interface (API). The Java Virtual Machine is a program, for a particular hardware and software platform, that runs Java technology applications. An API is a collection of software components that you can use to create other software components or applications. Each Java platform provides a virtual machine and an API, and this allows applications written for that platform to run on any compatible system with all the advantages of the Java programming language: platform-independence, power, stability, ease-of-development, and security.
Java SE
When most people think of the Java programming language, they think of the Java SE API. Java SE's API provides the core functionality of the Java programming language. It defines everything from the basic types and objects of the Java programming language to high-level classes that are used for networking, security, database access, graphical user interface (GUI) development, and XML parsing.
In addition to the core API, the Java SE platform consists of a virtual machine, development tools, deployment technologies, and other class libraries and toolkits commonly used in Java technology applications.
