Configuring Your Development Environment

To write Android applications, you must configure your programming environment for Java development.The software is available online for download at no cost.Android applications
can be developed on Windows, Macintosh, or Linux systems.

To develop Android applications, you need to have the following software installed on
your computer:

•  The Java Development Kit (JDK) Version 5 or 6, available for download at http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp.
•  A compatible Java IDE such as Eclipse along with its JDT plug-in, available for download at http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/.

•  The Android SDK, tools and documentation, available for download at http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html.

•  The Android Development Tools (ADT) plug-in for Eclipse, available for download through the Eclipse software update mechanism. For instructions on how to install this plug-in, see http://developer.android.com/sdk/eclipse-adt.html.Although this tool is optional for development,we highly recommend it and will use its features frequently throughout this book.

A complete list of Android development system requirements is available at http://developer.android.com/sdk/requirements.html. Installation instructions are at
http://developer.android.com/sdk/installing.html.