You can try iSpectrum ( get it at You'll be able to develop and debug your Java apps in Eclipse. You'll still need a Mac and XCode to launch it on the simulator, or install it on the real device, though. But you won't have to actually use XCode editor. To develop Android applications (or any Java applications, for that matter), you need a development environment to write and build applications. Eclipse is a very popular development environment (IDE) for Java and the preferred IDE for Android development. It’s freely available for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. A Mac Build Server, which is a specialized kind of Mac that can be used to compile iOS apps. You’ll create those apps on your Mac, and then instruct the Build Server to compile the app for you. A dedicated Mac is the most convenient, and the most powerful option. A virtual Mac is OK too, but it typically does not perform as well as a physical. Java is forbidden because Apple has deprecated its own build of Java; and while it seems supportive of Oracle’s official OpenJDK project for Mac OS X, apparently that support does not extend to allowing Java apps into the store. Of course it is not only Java and Adobe AIR that are.
Apple’s Xcode development system is superb for developing applications, but sometimes you just want to write C or C++ code for research or school. Composing a serious chunk of code with vi is no longer acceptable,* so users in this frame of mind are now using Eclipse, a modern IDE, that’s also free. Here’s how to get gcc without installing Apple’s Xcode and then install Eclipse for C/C++ programming.
What’s the Motivation?
At work recently, my wife was chatting with a colleague who was taking his first C++ class. She taught him how to use Eclipse on a Mac, even though he resisted at first. However, later, he came back and commented that the other students were trying to manage ever increasingly complex projects with the vi editor. It was taking them four, six, or even 20 hours in some cases to complete their homework each week. He finished his, typically, in 30 minutes. That’s the power of an IDE with a modern debugger. That last item, the debugger, can’t be emphasized enough. Print statements in your code are oh, so yesteryear with a tool like this. Time is money, and efficiency reflects on you as a programmer.
So if you’re a scientist, researcher or engineer who wants to write some research code, not intended as a GUI app, in Java, C, C++ or Fortran, you need to dump vi as an editor* (or Emacs or Nedit or whatever) immediately and get with this kind of IDE. Things are moving far too fast nowadays not to make this important move. (Clearly, I’m speaking to an older crowd here.**)
To be perfectly clear, Apple’s Xcode is a fabulous development system for C, C++, Objective-C and even Fortran 77***. You can build native OS X and iOS apps. But many researchers and scientists aren’t interested in Xcode. They’ve come from a Linux or other UNIX platform, like IBM’s AIX, and they just want to carry on their research in Eclipse on a Mac. This how-to is primarily for them. But, as I mentioned above, students who are taking their first programming class and own a Mac will also find this discussion useful — indeed mandatory. Remember, this is an introduction to whet your appetite and get you launched, not a complete Eclipse tutorial.
Also, this how-to for the sake of simplicity focuses on C/C++, but Eclipse can handle a myriad of languages, including, but not limited to, Java and Fortran. Let’s start with C/C++.
Getting the gcc Compiler
As an aside, when you install Apple’s Xcode (free from the Mac App Store only in Lion), gcc is automatically installed in /usr/bin. But if you have a mind to work with just Eclipse and gcc, you’ll need a way to install gcc without, if it pleases you, installing Apple’s Xcode first. (For reference, here’s a how-to on installing Xcode and gcc.)
There are at least two places I know of where you can get a gcc installer package for OS X:
- The OS X High Performance Computing page at Sourceforge managed by Dr. Gaurav Khanna at the University of Mass.
If you find other sources, let us know.
Installing Eclipse
Here’s a handy reference on where to get Eclipse for the Mac. Version 3.7 (“Indigo”) installs nicely in Lion and seems to work okay, but our household hasn’t put it to a grueling acid test with OS X 10.7.1.
Eclipse Download for CC++, 64-bit
The download is a …tar.gz file, so move it where you want the Eclipse directory to be because when you double click it, the package will be unzipped and untared right there. After Eclipse is installed, you’ll see it as an app, just like any other, with this icon.
It’s easy to create an alias to eclipse.app, if you wish, and place it in your /Application directory. Because the Eclipse IDE itself is written in Java, if you’re running a clean copy of Lion, you’ll need to download the Java runtime before the Eclipse app will launch. Just double-click on Eclipse, and it’ll trigger the required Java runtime download. Nothing else to do. If you’re in Snow Leopard, the Java runtime is already there.
Java runtime download
This first thing you’ll see when you run Eclipse is that it asks for the location of your workspace. I typically create a directory in /Users/john called Programming where I do any code development. (Which is not much these days.)
Workspace Selection
After you select your workspace, you’ll be confronted with an Eclipse peculiarity. A welcome page will be launched that brings a real feeling of WTF to many users. Here it is.
Welcome screen
The trick is to realize that the icon on the far right, circled in red above, takes you into the workbench. For that named workspace, this one time is the only time you’ll see that screen.
Once the IDE is launched, there are just a few details before you can build a project. Again, for simplicity, lets stay with C/C++. From the Eclipse File menu, select “New” and then C++ Project.
Eclipse - New Project
Experienced Eclipse users know the drill. Name the project, make sure you’ve identified the location of your compiler in the Toolchain, and so on. (It may be different than the default install by Apple’s Xcode. The screen shot below shows Apple’s install of gcc, marked as MacOSX GCC, because I’d previously installed Xcode on that Mac.)
Configuration
Newbies may want to select the Hello World project just to see how things get set up. Make sure you work your way through the setup with Next > at the bottom and don’t click the Finish button too soon. A more detailed examination of this set up and the ins-and-outs of Eclipse are beyond the scope of this getting started article. The goal here is simply an introduction for Mac users. And you’re not alone. There’s a huge body of knowledge on the Internet about Eclipse. Here’s a start.
![Writing Writing](/uploads/1/2/6/5/126526689/574694687.jpg)
If all went well, you’ll be in the Eclipse IDE with the Hello World program in the editor and a Make file already created. This environment is called the Eclipse workbench.
Eclipse Workbench w/ default “Hello World” code
It may take you some start-up time to learn Eclipse, but trust me, coding the old way will soon bog you down. The Xcode and Eclipse developers learn from each other, so if you ever decide to get into OS X or iOS development, having earned your wings in Eclipse will pay huge dividends later.
__________________
* I’m qualified to say this because I’ve lived and breathed vi for a living in the past.
** Remember, a lot of people are going back to school, learning or refreshing their programming skills.
*** You can write and compile Fortran 77 in Xcode with standard output, but you can’t access the Cocoa APIs and build native apps in F77.
Information and system requirements for installing and using Oracle Java on Mac OS X
This article applies to:- Platform(s): Mac OS X
- Java version(s): 7.0, 8.0
Oracle's Java version 7u25 and below have been disabled by Apple on OS X. Updating to the latest release will allow Java to be run on Mac OS X.
» Download latest Java
» Download latest Java
![Writing Mac Apps In Java Writing Mac Apps In Java](https://learndown.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Writing-Articles.jpg)
» Can I restore Apple Java 6 after uninstalling Oracle Java?
» What are the system requirements for Java on my Mac?
» Why can't I find Java 6 for Mac OS X on java.com?
» Can I use Chrome with Oracle Java on my Mac?
» How do I get Java for my Mac?
» How do I know if I have Java installed on my Mac?
» How do I install Java for my Mac?
» How do I find out what version of Java I have on my Mac?
» How do I enable Java on my Mac?
» How do I clear the Java cache on my Mac?
» How do I update Java on my Mac?
» How do I uninstall Java from my Mac?
» I do not have Mac version 10.7.3 (Lion) or higher. How do I get Java for other Mac versions?
» Is it safe to install previous or older versions of Java?
» Why will applets not run after getting Java through Apple Software Update?
» Why is Oracle Java available only for Mac OS X 10.7.3 and above?
» Can I install Java on Mac 10.10 (Yosemite)?
» The installation hangs during an auto-update, what can I do to get the latest Java?
» When I try to use Java from the command line, why doesn't it work?
» How do I get support or provide feedback on Java?
After I updated to macOS Sierra 10.12, El Capitan (OS X 10.11), or Yosemite (OS X 10.10), why am I told to install Java after I already installed the latest Java?
See information about Apple Java messages.
Can I restore Apple Java 6 after uninstalling Oracle Java?
Yes, see the instructions on the Apple website Restore Apple Java 6. If you have JDK 7 or later versions installed on your system and you want to restore Apple Java 6, then those JDK versions need to be uninstalled first. See the instructions to Uninstall JDK.
What are the system requirements for Java on my Mac?
Operating system requirements: For Java 7 and later versions, you will need an Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X version 10.7.3 (Lion) and above. Installing Java on a Mac is performed on a system wide basis, for all users, and administrator privileges are required. Java can not be installed on a per-user basis.Browser requirements: A 64-bit browser (Safari, for example) is required to run Oracle Java on Mac.
Why can't I find Java 6 for Mac OS X on java.com?
For Java versions 6 and below, Apple supplies their own version of Java. For Mac OS X 10.6 and below, use the Software Update feature (available on the Apple menu) to check that you have the most up-to-date version of Java 6 for your Mac. For issues related to Apple Java 6 on Mac, contact Apple Support. Oracle and Java.com only support Java 7 and later, and only on 64 bit systems.
Mac OS X and Apple Java 6 End of Life
Apple has posted notice that Mac OS X 10.11 (El Capitan) will be the last OS X release that supports Java 6, and as such, recommends developers whose applications depend on Java 6 to migrate their apps to a newer Java version provided by Oracle. » More info (apple.com)
Can I use Chrome with Oracle Java on my Mac?
Chrome browser versions 42 and above. Starting with Chrome version 42, Chrome has disabled the standard way in which browsers support plugins. More info
How do I get Java for my Mac?
You can download Java from java.com.
How do I know if I have Java installed on my Mac?
Mac OS X 10.6 and below: Apple's Java comes pre-installed with your Mac OS.
Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) and above: Java is not pre-installed with Mac OS X versions 10.7 and above. To get the latest Java from Oracle, you will need Mac OS X 10.7.3 and above.
If you have Java 7 or later versions, you will see a Java icon under System Preferences.
Java versions 6 and below are listed in the Java Preferences.app located in the Applications > Utilities folder on your Mac.
Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) and above: Java is not pre-installed with Mac OS X versions 10.7 and above. To get the latest Java from Oracle, you will need Mac OS X 10.7.3 and above.
If you have Java 7 or later versions, you will see a Java icon under System Preferences.
Java versions 6 and below are listed in the Java Preferences.app located in the Applications > Utilities folder on your Mac.
How do I install Java for my Mac?
See Mac Java installation instructions.
How do I find out what version of Java I have on my Mac?
Mac OS X 10.7.3 and above: Under System Preferences click on the Java icon to access the Java Control Panel which will list your Java version.
If you do not see a Java icon under System Preferences, Java 7 or later versions is not installed.
If you do not see a Java icon under System Preferences, Java 7 or later versions is not installed.
How do I enable Java on my Mac?
When you install Oracle Java on your Mac (Lion and above), Java will be enabled by default.
If you are running a Java application in the browser, you will need to also check that Java is enabled in your browser.
For earlier versions of Java, check the Apple Support site.
If you are running a Java application in the browser, you will need to also check that Java is enabled in your browser.
For earlier versions of Java, check the Apple Support site.
How do I clear the Java cache on my Mac?
See How to clear the Java cache on Mac.
How do I update Java on my Mac?
See How to update Java on Mac.
How do I uninstall Java from my Mac?
See Mac Java uninstall instructions.
Writing To File In Java
I do not have Mac version 10.7.3 (Lion) or higher. How do I get Java for other Mac versions?
For Java versions 6 and below, Apple supplies their own version of Java. Use the Software Update feature (available on the Apple menu) to check that you have the most up-to-date version of Apple's Java for your Mac.
Users of Lion Mac OS X 10.7.1 and 10.7.2 should upgrade to 10.7.3 or later versions, so you can get the latest Java version from Oracle.
Users of Lion Mac OS X 10.7.1 and 10.7.2 should upgrade to 10.7.3 or later versions, so you can get the latest Java version from Oracle.
Is it safe to install previous or older versions of Java?
Oracle highly discourages users from using older versions of Java. Installing old and supported versions of Java on your system presents a serious security risk. Upgrading to the latest version of Java ensures that Java applications will run with the most up-to-date security and performance improvements on your system. You can confirm that you have the latest version on the verification page. If installing an older version of Java is absolutely required, you must first uninstall the current version. See the instructions on the Mac uninstall Java FAQ.
Why will applets not run after getting Java through Apple Software Update?
Apple disables the Java plug-in and Webstart applications when the Java update is done using Software Update. Also, if the Java plug-in detects that no applets have been run for an extended period of time it will again disable the Java plug-in.
Why is Oracle Java available only for Mac OS X 10.7.3 and above?
The Java Runtime depends on the availability of an Application programming interface (API). Some of the API were added in Mac OS X 10.7.3. Apple has no plans to make those API available on older versions of the Mac OS.
Can I install Java on Mac OS X 10.10 (Yosemite)?
Yes. See Mac OS X 10.10 FAQ.
The installation hangs during an auto-update, what can I do to get the latest Java?
During an auto-update, Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) users might see the installation stall. Download the latest Java from the java.com web site.
When I try to use java
from the command line, why doesn't it work? I have Oracle's version of the JRE installed.
Installing a JRE from Oracle does not update
java -version
symlinks or add java to your path. For this functionality, you must install the full JDK. See Mac command line info. How do I get support or provide feedback on Java?
Provide us details on Feedback form for reporting issues or providing feedback for Java.
You might also be interested in:
Writing Mac Apps In Java Download
- How do I install Java for my Mac?
- How do I uninstall Java on my Mac?
- Where is the Java Control Panel on Mac?
- How do I clear Java cache on my Mac?
- How do I Update Java for my Mac?
- How do I disable Java in my web browser?