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Setting up Java for Tetrad
First, click here if you're already an expert at installing Java and want some tips.
If you are a non-expert, this page will explain how to install Java for Tetrad (if you need to).
Some interesting background that might help you understand:
- The abbreviation "JDK" stands for "Java Development Kit" and includes a JRE ("Java Runtime Environment").
- Installing a JDK ("Java Development Kit") will install Java on your machine.
- Java JDKs are offered by various companies--Oracle, Amazon ("Corretto"), Adoptium ["Eclipse Tumerin"), Microsoft, IBM, Redhat, etc.
- Version number for Java may include different integers separated by periods, indicating subversions--e.g., 1.8, 9.1, 9.1.2, etc.; the "major version" is the first number in this period-separated list--for these examples, "11". For 11.3.2, the major version would be "11".
- Major versions for Java range start at 8 (also called "1.8") and go up to 17 or 20. Earlier versions of Java are no longer available.
- You might have Mac, Windows machine, or a Linux machine; the installation instructions will differ depending on your operating system.
We encourage you to use a recent version of Java but will support version 1.8 using a separate build as of forthcoming version 7.5.0
You may already have a JDK installed on your machine from one of these companies with a major version of 11 or higher; in this case, you only need to do a further installation if you want to update your Java.
So...
First, check the version to see if you already have Java with a major version greater than or equal to 11
Open a Terminal window on Mac or Linux or a Command prompt on Windows.
On a Mac, you can hold down the command key, type a space, then type Terminal and return.
Once you have a Terminal open, type the following:
java -version
If a Java JDK is installed, this will print (among other things) the version number of the JDK (for example, "1.8", "8.2", "10.5.3", etc.). You'll have to look for the version number in the printed text. If no version number is printed, you don't have Java installed, so you'll have to install it.
You may close the terminal window using the usual method for closing windows on your machine.
If you can install a newer version and are able to, we suggest installing a Java JDK from the Anazon Corretto builds.
We recommend an Amazon Corretto installation with the latest version number and long-term support (LTS).
[https://aws.amazon.com/corretto/?filtered-posts.sort-by=item.additionalFields.createdDate&filtered-posts.sort-order=desc)
Here are some tips to follow when downloading--you must make certain choices.
First, you may choose any of the Java versions offered on this page. Version 17 is the latest recommended version for Java. If you choose version 8, you must download the 1.8 version of Tetrad; otherwise, you must download the "-latest" version of Tetrad.
Now the instructions depend on which machine type you have. You need to select which install file to download.