Phone Borneo

You can very easily develop BlackBerry computer software applications if you install the proper tools on your personal computer: a Java Software program Development Kit (JDK) and a BlackBerry Java Development Environment (JDE). These tools are downloadable for totally free from the Sun Microsystems and Study In Motion internet websites.

The JDK supplies the standard tools for compiling Java source code into the bytecode applied by the Java interpreter. The JDK also offers the Java interpreter that is employed to run many of the development tools in the JDE.

The JDE supplies the BlackBerry-specific tools for transforming Java bytecode into the special format implemented by the Java-like interpreter on BlackBerry handhelds. It also supplies the debugging and editing tools necessary for serious computer software development.

Start by determining which version of the BlackBerry operating system (OS) you plan on targeting. This determines which version of the JDE to use, which in turn determines which version of the JDK to install.

The general rule is this: always use a JDE version equal to or much less than the OS version you are targeting. For example, if you are targeting OS 4.3 you can use JDE four., 4.1, four.two or four.3 to develop your application, but not 4.5, four.7 or five.. (The JDE versions skipped four.four., four.6, 4.8 and four.9, by the way.) This is not a strict rule, due to the fact you can from time to time use a later JDE version to build applications that perform on older OS versions, but RIM doesn't guarantee that those applications will work or that they will even load on earlier OS versions. (They unquestionably won't load if you use an API that isn't supported in the older versions.) To be secure, then, you'll constantly want to use the appropriate JDE version for the final builds of your application, even if you use a unique JDE version for interim development. (There are some nice features in the newer JDE versions, soon after all.)

Once you've determined which JDE to use, download and install the right version of the JDK. For JDE versions four..2 and prior, JDK 1.4 is needed. For JDE versions four.1 to 4.2, use JDK 1.5. For versions 4.3 and greater, JDK 1.6 is essential. You can download the suitable JDK from the Sun Microsystems webpage. (Note that JDK versions 1.four and 1.5 are fairly old now and are no longer officially supported by Sun, but they are nonetheless accessible for download and are required by the older JDE versions.)

Just after installing the suitable JDK, download and install the desired JDE from the BlackBerry developer web-site. You will have to have to register for a absolutely free account on the internet site. Don't forget to join RIM's BlackBerry developer system even though you're at it.

Diverse versions of the JDK and the JDE can co-exist on the identical machine with no problem if you install them in the correct order: JDK 1.4 initial, followed by JDE four. JDK 1.five followed by JDE 4.1 to four.two JDK 1.6 followed by the remaining JDE versions. Otherwise you'll will need to alter the paths put to use by the distinct batch and executable files in the JDE to use the correct JDK version -- a bit of a hassle, surely, but not troublesome to do at all.