You need the J2SE, it is for standard
applets, frames, io, and such..

The J2EE is server side stuff, Java
Server Pages, Servlets etcetera.
(and you would need the J2SE to
do anything useful with it.)

HTH

Taken by the Java site at Sun

"Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) defines the standard for
developing component-based multitier enterprise applications. Features
include Web services support and development tools (SDK)"

"Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE) provides a complete environment
for applications development on desktops and servers. It also serves as
the foundation for the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE) and Java
Web Services."

There are three different downloads.

(J2SE) JRE; Java Runtime Engine - if you just want to run Java.

(J2SE) SDK; Software Development Kit - simple applets and applications.

J2EE SDK; Enterprise Edition SDK - includes an AppServer - if you don't
know what this is you are unlikely to need it.

they are two completely different things with similar names

j2se "is" java i.e. it's the sdk or the runtime or whatever, to run standard
java programs. you can't do anything without that.

J2EE is a collection of java based standards and packages to do with
developing server side enterprise applications. for instance, servlets and
RMI. These pieces are not built into the basic java but sit on top of it, so
you can't compare the two

so you will always need j2se. if you're working with server side (often web
related) applications you may well need J2EE as well.

j2me (mobile edition) on the other hand, does not sit on top of j2se, it's a
cut down version, so it would be sensible to compare j2me with j2se

HTH

Andy

J2SE is "Standard Edition", something you need to download in order to have
"Java" on your computer, to run and develop desktop, networking and similar
application.

J2EE is "Enterprise Edition", which is basically a set of libraries on top
of J2SE which enables you to run and develop enterprise applications: web
apps, clustered applications etc.

You need to install J2SE in order to use J2EE, and that's why there are
links on both editions.

Briefly,

J2SE != J2EE.

J2SE = Standard Java, Running on a VM.

J2EE = "Enterprise Java" (Web-Programming, persistent components,
professional database access, mailing, messaging, WebServices etc.),
J2EE is typically implemented as an application server running on
top of a VM, which _includes_ J2SE.

So, if you just want to learn Java, so stick to J2SE.
Come back to J2EE in a year or two.

Roman

Hello,

 There is only one developer's kit, which is the J2SE SDK (J2SE 1.4.2_02
in your case.) The other download is the J2EE 1.4 Application Server. This
is a minimal application server and related tools that can be used for J2EE
development. Applications are still compiled using the J2SE compiler.

 If you read down the same page you can see:

Before starting, please read Installation Notes.

The Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition ("J2EE") version 1.4 SDK provides a
complete implementation of the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition 1.4
specification along with extra features to help developers learn about
what's new and improved in the specification. The J2EE 1.4 SDK includes the
J2EE 1.4 application server, the J2SE platform as its foundation, and
various tools to help developers prototype J2EE applications and learn
about the J2EE platform and technologies. Everything a developer needs to
get started using the J2EE 1.4 platform, including The J2EE 1.4 Tutorial
and Java BluePrints, is available now for download.