Android SDK Compatibility with Eclipse and JDK

I recently switched my development workstation from a MacBook Pro to a Windows desktop PC. Yeah, I know, I’m going  against  the trends but it’s a sweet machine I assembled myself based on recommendations from Ash.

Immediately I ran into compatibility problems with Google’s Android SDK and the current versions of Eclipse (Helios) and the Java Developer Kit (JDK Version 6). In a nutshell Google’s cool Android dev tools don’t work with Helios–you need to install Eclipse 3.5 (Galileo). Galileo require’s JDK Version 5. All this info is  prominently  featured on the  Android  system reqs page–but who reads any more?

Digging up old versions of Eclipse is easy. You can find Galileo here.

Digging up old versions of the JDK is a  bureaucratic nightmare. You can find JDK Version 5 here but to install it you have to fill out a form, give away PII, and then wait for an email.

One way around Sun Oracle’s walled garden is to install Open Office 3.2.1 which installs Java 1.6 (JDK Version 6) in such away that everything compiles.

Now that Google is throwing away all their Windows PC’s I’m sure this compatibility nonsense will get even worse. Here is a note from Google about enabling debugging of Android Phones:

If you develop on Mac OS X or Linux, you do not need a special driver to debug your application on an Android-powered device.

Damn it! I might have to go back to coding on the Mac and only using my PC for trival tasks like gaming and web browsing. Ironic huh?


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Comments

2 responses to “Android SDK Compatibility with Eclipse and JDK”

  1. Android Development Avatar

    Thanks for sharing the helpful information, I am new to Android mobile development and this was very useful for me. Also I totally agree with you, I think once you use Mac OS or Linux you won’t be comfortable working on a Windows machine.

  2. Juan Ortiz Ordoñez Avatar

    The Android Development Bundle is very helpful when we want to start code without installation issues.

    Thanks for sharing!