JRE = Java Runtime Environment (users need this, this is every computer user today).JDK = Java Development Kit (developers need this, this is you if you code in Java).Both will be installed from the single JDK install, as you will see below.

Next, for developers, download JDK, not JRE. Now, let's dive into this 'madness', as you put it.Īll of these are the same (when developers are talking about Java for development):Īnd we can assume this will remain for future versions. I am installing the latest Java on my system for development, and currently it's Java SE 7. The tentative end of public updates for Java SE 8 is March 2017, but that end date is subject to change (later, not earlier). In April 2015, Oracle affirmed that it was no longer providing public updates to Java SE 7. But the version 6 (1.6) is becoming antiquated.Įdited : And with another couple of revolutions around the sun, the time has come for the end of support for Java SE 7, too. JDK is the Java Development Kit, JRE is the Java Runtime Environment, Java SE is the standard edition, and so on. Within a given version of Java, this answer remains valid. Oracle says no more public updates to Java 6 after February 2013. (See also .)Įdited : And the world keeps on turning ( notwithstanding), and lo and behold, JRE 6 is about to reach its end of support. The new page (based on a redirect) is this Java page at the Oracle Tech Network. Later this year, the sun.com domain is supposed to go dark. The world turns, and Java is now managed by Oracle, which bought Sun. So, to run a Java application someone else provides, you need JRE to develop a Java application, you need JDK.Īs Chris Marasti-Georg pointed out in a comment, you can find out lots of information at Sun's Java web site, and in particular from the Java SE section, (2nd option, Java SE Development Kit (JDK) 6 Update 10). The JDK includes the compiler and other tools needed to develop Java applications JRE does not. SE defines a set of capabilities and functionalities there are more complex editions (Enterprise Edition – EE) and simpler ones (Micro Edition – ME – for mobile environments).

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