Start coding in Java with NetBeans

There is a lot of information about Java around, but I don't understand how开发者_开发百科 to setup everything.

I have a Mac. I heard the JDK comes with Macs. But is it the latest? How do I check that? Is it the J2SE or J2EE?

I want to create a web app. I installed NetBeans. When I choose create project there is a list of Java options. There is Java/Java EE/Java FX/Java Web. Which one should i choose? and afterwards, what is what? What is War?

I want to find a good tutorial/ebook explaining all these Java terms and how to setup Java/Java Server(Glassfish/Tomcat) on a Mac and with NetBeans to code a web app? A good one!

The netbeans tutorials can be found here: http://netbeans.org/kb/trails/java-se.html

To start off, just make a plain Java project. The other types all probably include different plugins or libraries that you won't need right away. A WAR is an archive of Java classes and other files that constitutes a web application.

The default version of the JDK that you have on your Mac should be fine, but if you want to upgrade or mess around with any other Java preferences, OS X offers all that for you. Apple has a good tutorial here: http://developer.apple.com/java/faq/

Edit: Ok, if you want to make a web app then the first step is to learn how a Java web app is organized. That will make your life much easier. Java EE is mostly a buzzword (IMO) and it refers to a specific set of libraries. It's not important to know what's officially considered Java EE and what isn't. To learn about what a Java web app looks like, the best place is the Tomcat manual. Read this section, then make a WAR project in Netbeans and you should have a good start. Don't try to bite off too much at first, just make a Hello, World! app.

An excellent resource for learning Java development is Java Passion.

There you can learn basic Java development, and the Java EE tutorials will also get you started developing web applications.

Here are some links on how to setup Tomcat / Glassfish for Mac OS X.

• Tomcat on OS X
• Glassfish on OS X

Trying to go straight into Java Enterprise Development is going to be too steep a learning curve unless you already know Java. Take a step back, and start going through some Java Tutorials.

It will likely be a while before you can tackle Java EE (it can be a monster).