Programming: gcc

Three reasons to install Linux or Unix on a PC: first, hear no Microsoft, smell no Microsoft, see no Microsoft; second, GNOME; third, gcc. Gcc is the GNU Compiler Collection, a universal Unix compiler that can compile just about everything from C to Fortran to Ada to Assembly to 00010111010100. It ships with most, if not all, Unix and Linux distros. I have been using to learn C, which is much easier under Unix. But you can still use it for many other things. In fact, I can compile machine-independent code with it. Later I will tell you more about personal experiences and programs I have compiled with gcc and g++.

Programming: Java and jdk/NetBSD

I am sure that many of you have heard of the language Java. It is an object-oriented programming language first introduced by Sun Microsystems. It is often used for scripting in applets online. I don't know much of it, but we learn it each week at the WHHS Computer Club. A good tutorial for Java that I use and the Computer Club as well uses can be found at http://www.ibiblio.org/obp/thinkCSjav. Now, for NetBSD and pkgsrc compatibility.

The pkgsrc/NetBSD page for jdk does not work. However, after doing some googling, I have found another link for downloading jdk, located here: http://www.duh.org/NetBSD/java2/.

This is a download page for the Java 2 SDK (Software Development Kit). It is big, though (44 MB, I think). And that's compressed. Make sure you have space for it.