Java on Xubuntu

In my last post, I mentioned my plans of doing my own Xubuntu installation. So far, time does not allow it. That will have to wait. However, that shouldn't stop me from talking about Xubuntu. My interaction with it has been quite minimal but so far, I'm satisfied with what it can do.

It already includes the Sun Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 6 in the basic installation. That means, one can easily run Java applications on it. If you're a programmer, or one who's learning to be one, installing Java Development Kit (JDK) 6 is very easy (I did it just a few minutes ago.). It's done via Synaptic, hence, all you have to do is point and click, and Synaptic downloads and installs automatically. No terminal-based hassles whatsoever.

Immediately after installing the JDK, I also tried installing Netbeans IDE 6.0.1, again via Synaptic. Still was a success. However, I might have been asking too much from an operating that was running on 1.5 GHz and 256 MB of RAM. Netbeans was quite slow on running the larger applications. The smaller ones ran decently enough. Nevertheless, I still think Xubuntu rocks! With this new discovery, I'm sure we'll still be seeing more of our "old" PCs in the distant future. So, if you want to try and salvage your older PCs, I suggest you try Xubuntu on them.

For those who are not familiar with Synaptic, here are the steps I took to install Netbeans. The intention is to show you how easy it is.

1) Run Synaptic: Applications > System > Synaptic Package Manager
You will then see this:

2) Assuming you're not sure that Netbeans or whatever application you want is included in Synaptic, you might want to search first: Click on the Search button, type Netbeans in the Search box, then click on the Search button.


3) If Netbeans (or your desired app) is included in Synaptic, you'll see it in a list:



4) Right-click on Netbeans (or your desired app) and click on Mark for Installation. The icon beside Netbeans will change like this:

5) Click on Apply. Then click on the next Apply button.


You'll then see this:


You'll know you're installation is successful if you see this:

That's it. Enjoy!