Java Design Concepts

There are several ways of installing NetBeans on the Ubuntu operating system. One of the easiest ways is to make use of the Package Manager utility within Ubuntu. Another option is to download the required version from the NetBeans website and run the installer in a terminal. The following installation methods will be explained in the following section:

• Install NetBeans via Ubuntu Package Manager
• Install NetBeans via Installer (Manual Download)

Required Software

The NetBeans IDE requires Java SE Development Kit (JDK) 5 or later. This might vary depending on the version of NetBeans you install. To ensure that all the required software are installed, read the installations instructions of the NetBeans IDE when doing a manual installation. The Ubuntu Package Manager will download all required packages and install them before the utility will start the installation process for NetBeans.

Method 1: Install NetBeans via Ubuntu Package Manager

The following section describe how to install the NetBeans IDE on Ubuntu via the Package Manager Utility provided by the operating system.

1. Setup the Source Repository

To install NetBeans via the Ubuntu Package Manager, ensure that the correct repository is listed in the source listing file. NetBeans is found inf the universe repository and Java is found in the multiverse repository.

Code:

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

Ensure that the following sources are added to the configuration file:

• deb http://za.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid universe
• deb-src http://za.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid universe
• deb http://za.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-updates universe
• deb-src http://za.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-updates universe
• deb http://za.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid multiverse
• deb-src http://za.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid multiverse
• deb http://za.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-updates multiverse
• deb-src http://za.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-updates multiverse

After the configuration file is updated, the package repository needs to updated with the following command:

Code:

sudo apt-get update

2. Install Required Software

To install Java version 6, the following command needs to be executed:

Code:

sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jdk sun-java6-plugin

3. Install Netbeans IDE

To install NetBeans, the following command needs to be executed. The package manager does not necessarily install the latest version of NetBeans. The package manager will install the latest NetBeans that is supported by Ubuntu.

Code:

sudo apt-get install netbeans

Method 2: Install NetBeans via Installer (Manual Download)

The following section describes how to install the NetBeans IDE on Ubuntu via a manual download. This method enables you to choose the version of NetBeans to install as well as the additional bundles available.

1. Setup the Source Repository

To install NetBeans via the Ubuntu Package Manager, ensure that the correct repository is listed in the source listing file. See Method 1 above. Java 6 is found in the multiverse repository.

Ensure that the following sources are added to the configuration file:

• deb http://za.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid multiverse
• deb-src http://za.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid multiverse
• deb http://za.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-updates multiverse
• deb-src http://za.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ intrepid-updates multiverse
2. Install Required Software

To install Java version 6, the following command needs to be executed:

Code:

sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jdk sun-java6-plugin

The following command is used to ensure the correct version is used:

Code:

sudo update-java-alternatives -s java-6-sun

3. Install Netbeans IDE

To install NetBeans, download the appropriate installation file from the Official NetBeans Download Site. The version of NetBeans that was downloaded for this post is: NetBeans V6.5 - Full Bundle. (netbeans -6.5-ml-linux.sh)

Code:

sudo ./netbeans-6.5-ml-linux

After the command is executed and the sudo password is supplied, the following screen will display. It provides the user with some options on the bundled software packaged with the NetBeans installation.

After selecting the additional packages to install, the following screen will display. This section gives the user the options where to install NetBeans and additional software.

The installation process will take a few minutes to complete.

Conclusion

There are several more ways to install the NetBeans IDE on Ubuntu. Each of the different ways have advantages over the other. The Package Manager method takes care of the installation and dependencies issues. To update the NetBeans package is taken care of by the Package Manager. The disadvantage is that the Package Manager may not always be able to install the latest version of NetBeans, as it might not be supported by Ubuntu at that moment. The manual installation takes solves this issue.