im learning how to code in java and the tutorial says that i have to download SDK from their site.
but im so confused cause i see java SE, ME and EE and i dont know what they're for.
to code in php i need MAMP and a IDE (netbeans).
what do i need to code in Java? Java server (eg jetty)? and what more?
The JAVA SE (Standard Edition) is enough:
http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp
See this article of Wikipedia
Java SE was known as Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition or J2SE from version 1.2 until version 1.5. The "SE" is used to distinguish the base platform from Java EE and Java ME.
The "2" was originally intended to emphasize the major changes introduced in version 1.2, but was removed in version 1.6.Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (EE) is a related specification which includes all of the classes in Java SE, plus a number which are more useful to programs which run on servers as opposed to workstations.
Java Platform, Micro Edition (ME) is a related specification intended to provide a certified collection of Java APIs for the development of software for small, resource-constrained devices such as cell phones, PDAs and set-top boxes.
Note: the all JSE, JEE, JME naming convention has been introduced in mid-2005, as presented in the article JavaOne 2005: Participate in the Future of Java.
Sun is dropping the "2" in the platform name, and the official naming with versions is now Java SE 5, Java EE 5, and Java ME.
Although, I heard a very senior Sun official use the terms "JSE" and "JEE", so expect those words to become part of our standard vocabulary too.The reason for the change is to simplify the naming conventions and focus on the 'Javaness' of the editions.
Look at http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp
If you use a modern GNU/Linux distribution, you can install OpenJDK using your distros package manager.
To get started with Java you only need Standard Edition (SE).
If you just want to code Java apps (to run on the desktop and in the browser as applets), you want the Java SE SDK. If you want to code Java servlets (to run on a server and generate web pages), you want Java EE and an application server (such as Tomcat, Resin, or others).
http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/widget/jdk6.jsp A link which points directly to the Java SE JDK (SDK). You should take the Standard Edition (Java SE). It is enough at all when you begin with Java.
As per the comments:
i want to code websites with java as backend.
Then you need to go for Java EE. This is however an abstract API which everyone is free to implement. The "Java EE" download from Sun is just Sun's own implementation. It's also known as Glassfish.
As it's an abstract API, there are more choices, such as Apache Tomcat, Eclipse Jetty, JBoss AS, etcetera. If you rather prefer one of them above Glassfish, then you don't necessarily need to download Java EE from sun. Just the Java SE JDK from Sun is enough in combination with the Java EE webserver/servletcontainer implementation you like to use.
would be great with tutorials/books teaching me how to setup everything like LAMP and the basics in java.
I've answered this before in this topic: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1958808/java-web-development-what-skills-do-i-need/1958854#1958854