Using an integrated development environment (IDE) for Java development is optional, but recommended. An IDE is a developer utility that integrates all development tools (compiler, build tools, file version control, debugger, profiler, editor, documentation, etc) into one graphical interface and spares you some of the complications of the commandline.
You can download the NetBeans IDE for Java SE from http://www.netbeans.org. (Free and open-source.)
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