How to download and install prebuilt OpenJDK packages

On Ubuntu 8.04 (Hardy Heron), do one of the following:

On the Gnome desktop (Ubuntu):
- In the main desktop menu, choose "Add/Remove ..."
- In the "Show" toggle box, select "All Open Source Applications"
- Search for "OpenJDK"
- Select the "OpenJDK Java Runtime" (openjdk-6-jre)
- Confirm the installation of community maintained software
- Press the "Apply Changes" button
On the KDE desktop (Kubuntu):
- In the main desktop menu, choose "Add/Remove Programs"
- In the "Adept Installer" search for "OpenJDK"
- Select the "OpenJDK Java Runtime" (openjdk-6-jre)
- Press the "Apply Changes" button
On the command line, type:
$ sudo apt-get install openjdk-6-jre

The openjdk-6-jre package contains just the Java Runtime Environment. If you want to develop Java programs then install the openjdk-6-jdk package.

For more information on how to install Java on Ubuntu, including on versions prior to 8.04, please see the Ubuntu Java Community page.

On Fedora 9 the OpenJDK 6 runtime and development packages are installed by default during any large-media install, such as from the Fedora 9 DVD.

If installing from a live image, such as a live CD or USB flash drive, add the OpenJDK 6 runtime after the install:

To install with the graphical package manager, follow Applications > Add/Remove Software and use search to find the package(s) to install.
To install from the command line:
$ su -c "yum install java-1.6.0-openjdk"

This package contains just the Java Runtime Environment. If you want to develop Java programs then install the java-1.6.0-openjdk-devel package. You can also install all the OpenJDK 6 packages, including the API documentation, by using the wildcard java-1.6.0-openjdk*.

On Fedora 8 the OpenJDK 7 runtime and development packages are installed by default during any large-media install, such as from the Fedora 8 DVD, under the name IcedTea. If installing from a live image then follow the above instructions but replace 1.6.0-openjdk with 1.7.0-icedtea.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, etc.

The OpenJDK 6 packages are also available in EPEL, a community-run project which makes Fedora packages available to users of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, CentOS 5, and other RHEL 5 derivatives.

First install the package that enables the EPEL repository:

$ su -c "rpm -Uvh http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/epel/5/i386/epel-release-5-2.noarch.rpm"

Then add the OpenJDK 6 runtime, or the development package and related packages if so desired, by following the instructions above for Fedora.