Install Stuff

First step is to get Android and get a development environment set up.  I did this a bit ago so this post and maybe a couple more will be catching up with what I've already done.

Located the Android development site.  I'm starting from scratch, so I went for the SDK starter package.  I'm on a Mac Pro running OS X 10.5.8 (not the latest; saw no reason to upgrade to Snow Leopard 10.6) so I downloaded the Mac zip file, getting me Android 2.2.  The Quick Start follows on that page, and yeah, my System Requirements are fine.  I assume I have a JDK installed (not sure how to check this) and if it turns out that I don't, I'll deal with it then.

I read (somewhere) that by far the easiest way to develop Android apps is using Eclipse and the Android Development Tools (ADT) plugin.  The Quick Start points out that I need to stick with Eclipse 3.4 or 3.5 and not use the latest.  Following the Eclipse link it gives takes me to a bunch of Eclipse downloads that are all version 3.6.  Following a couple links from there I arrive here to get the latest release of 3.5.  But which package do I want?  Not only are there several Eclipse packages, each one has three Mac versions.

Googled around a bit to try to get some help with this.  These two posts on Zviki Cohen's blog were just what I needed to pick which of the three Mac versions of Eclipse to use.  For me, Mac Cocoa 32-bit.  I picked the Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers as it had the most downloads and seemed to be the most comprehensive general version.  So, that combo resulted in me downloading this package.  Zviki's second post had an "Installing Eclipse" section, and I followed his recommendations.  My workspaces folder I put under Documents/Development.  I decided some time ago to try to keep anything I create somewhere under Documents.  Eclipse ran fine after it was installed.

Instead of continuing to follow the Quick Start at this point I backtracked to the Installing the SDK guide which has more detail.  It recommends using the "Eclipse Classic" package instead of the EE one I chose.  Oh well.  It seemed to be a suggestion rather than a must-have so I'll stick with EE package which looks like it might be a superset.

I unzipped the Android SDK I downloaded at the start, and stuck in it my Documents/Development folder.  The SDK guide points to a page with instructions on installing the ADT plugin into Eclipse and that all went fine, just as described.  Then I went back to the SDK guide and did the step where you you set up Eclipse to go download the rest of the SDK and get you the latest stuff.  That all worked.  Then I went back to the ADT plugin page and did the Configure step where you point the plugin at the SDK.

I don't recommend letting Eclipse check for new versions of things every time you start it, or every so often.  It would be crazy-making to be in the middle of working on something or debugging something and have Eclipse pull the rug out from under you by changing things around.  You can do manual updates when you know your project is quiescent and can take some disruption.