BlueJ Requirements: 

You need to have Java 2 SDK v 1.3 or 1.3.1 installed on your system. (NOTE: BlueJ does not currently work with JDK 1.4 beta!). The Java 2 SDK is also referred to as JDK. BlueJ does not run with JRE - a full SDK/JDK installation is needed. You can get SDK/JDK from java.sun.com. 



Installation Instructions:


Step 1: Download the installation package

BlueJ version 1.1.4/1.1.5   
all systems, except MacOS (694,700 bytes) 
 bluej-115.jar  
for MacOS X (620,950 bytes) BlueJ-114.sit  

(use "Save link as.." which you get when you right-click or shift-click the link - just clicking it does not work work in some browsers.)

Please note: BlueJ does not currently work with JDK 1.4 beta. JDK 1.4 will be supported when it becomes an official (not beta) release.



Step 2: Check the file size

Browsers sometimes try to be really clever and corrupt downloaded jar files in the process. Please check that the file was transferred correctly by checking its size. The file size should be 694,700 bytes (MacOS X version: 620,950 bytes). If you have problems downloading with your browser, read Getting BlueJ via FTP?

 
Optional: Subscribe to mailing list

If you want to be notified of new releases, go to bluej-announce and subscribe.
There is also an archive of past messages that you can read without subscribing.



Step 3: Installation 

Windows:

Double-click the install file (bluej-115.jar). 

If you system is not configured to execute jar files, double-clicking may not work. In that case, open a DOS Command window and follow the Unix instructions.

Unix:

Run the installer by executing

java -jar bluej-115.jar

Macintosh:

Note: BlueJ requires Java 2, and thus runs only on MacOS X.

You should have the file BlueJ-114.sit (NOT bluej-114.jar). This is a StuffIt file. Double-click to uncompress.

In the installer, select an installation directory and your JDK directory and install (this does not apply to MacOS). Important: The bluej path (that is, any of the parent directories) must not contain spaces (eg "Program Files")!

In the bluej directory, you will find a file named bluej (Unix), or bluej.bat (Windows). Run (double-click) this file to start BlueJ.

If you work on Windows, you may want to read Creating a BlueJ shortcut on Windows. This tells you how to avoid the DOS window popping up each time you start BlueJ.

 
Optional: Remove the Installer

If you do not want to make further installations, you can now delete the installer file (bluej-115.jar).

 

Step 4: Opening a project

After starting BlueJ, open a project by selecting "Open" from the Project menu. You can find some examples in the "examples" directory. After the project has been opened, right-clicking (Mac: control-clicking) a class lets you select a constructor from a pop-up menu to construct an object.

 

Where to from here?

If you have any trouble with the installation, please read the Installation Problems section in the FAQ.

If it all works this far, you might like start reading the Tutorial.