Installing Eclipse

Read this document in its entirety before installing Eclipse.

Although you can use Eclipse at school (see Launching Eclipse) we highly recommend you install the Eclipse environment on your computer. Accessing Eclipse remotely through the campus network is theoretically possible, but extremely slow.The Eclipse installation process has two steps:
  1. Install Java 6.0 SDK.
  2. Install Eclipse 3.7 (Indigo)

The files you will need to download are quite large so it is necessary you have a fast internet connection. For those with slow internet connections we can provide a limited number of CDs with the required software or you could copy the files to a CD from one of the wam labs on campus.   Please contact your instructor or teaching assistant for more details.

Below we describe the installation process for Windows and for Mac OS X.  If you have a different system (e.g., linux) see the "Software Sources" section below.  Feel free to skip the section that does not apply to your system.

For simplicity the Eclipse zip files we have provided include the software (course management plugin) necessary to submit projects. Installing Java and unzipping the appropriate Eclipse zip file will complete the installation process.

We often provide information of things to keep in mind while using Eclipse. Follow the link Things to Keep in Mind While Using Eclipse for additional information.

Installation Process for Windows (XP/Vista/Windows 7)

  1. Install Java 6.0 (Note: If you have installed previous versions of Java you might want to uninstall them.)
    1. Download the file jdk-6u27-windows-i586.exe.
    2. Double-click on the previously downloaded file and follow the installation instructions (basically select next until installation is complete). You don't need to register the JDK.
  2. Install Eclipse 3.7 software
    1. Download the file Eclipse3.7IndigoWithCSPluginsWindows.zip. NOTE: If you have problems unzipping the file try using 7-zip (http://www.7-zip.org/).
    2. Once you have unzipped the previously downloaded file, you will see a folder where you will find the eclipse application (a big blue dot).  We recommend you create a shortcut on the desktop to simplify the launching of eclipse.  Notice that unlike Java, Eclipse does not have an installation process.  Once you have unzipped the file you are done.

Installation Process for Mac OS X

  1. Install Java If you have the Snow Leopard operating system (Mac OS X, version 10.6) or Mac OS X Lion, then you already have Java 6. You can recognize the operating system in a Mac by using the "About this Mac" option. You can verify the java version you have by opening a command window and executing "java –version". If you don't have Java 6, then try one of the following alternatives (or discuss this matter with your instructor):
  1. Install Eclipse 3.7 software  Most Macs are Intel 64-bit machines, so the software you need is eclipse-SDK-3.7-macosx-cocoa-x86_64.tar.
    Once you have unzipped the previously downloaded file, you will see a folder where you will find the eclipse application (a big blue dot). We recommend you create a shortcut (alias) on the desktop to simplify the launching of eclipse. If you have a Mac that is not an Intel 64-bit machine, then download the appropriate "Eclipse Classic 3.7" from http://www.eclipse.org/downloads. If you have any problems, please contact your instructor.

  2. Install the Course Management Plugin 

Installation Process for USB Drive

You can have Eclipse and Java on a USB driver and run Eclipse from a PC with a USB port.  Keep in mind that it can be slow to access Eclipse following this approach.  To get Eclipse working in an USB Drive:
  1. Copy the Eclipse folder to the USB Drive.
  2. Copy the Java JDK from your PC to the USB drive. You will find the JDK under C:\Program Files\Java . Usually it has the name jdk1.6.0_## where ## is a two digit value (e.g., C:\Program Files\Java\jdk1.6.0_27)
  3. Define the workspace on the USB drive as follows:
  4. Bring up Eclipse and define the jre present on the drive as the one to use for projects. To define the jre in Eclipse select Window→Preferences→Java→Installed JREs→Search

Installation for Linux

  1. Install Eclipse from the main Eclipse site (see Software Sources section below).
  2. Install the Course Management Plugin (See Software Sources section below).

Eclipse Color Themes

NOTE: You don't need to install this plugin. This is just for fun and in case you want to change the default color scheme associated with Eclipse. To install the plugin:

Software Sources

At some point you might be interested in looking at the following sites.  In particular, those using a platform different from Windows or Mac OS X or those trying different Eclipse versions might need to access software from: