Which Java should I install?

I've seen many articles about HOW to install Java. My question is WHICH one should I install for Java development? OpenJDK 6, OpenJDK 7, Oracle Java 6, or Oracle Java 7? Some sites tell me to install Oracle Java 6 AND 7, some say just 7. So, what are the advantages and disadvantages of them both?

Solution 1:

It clearly depends on which Java version you might want to develop on. Please see this link for the differences between Java 6 and Java 7. Some sites suggest java 6 because it is considered to be more stable than 7. Please note that anything you can do with java version 6, you can do with 7 too.

If I were in your shoes, I would use the OpenJDK 7, but be sure to download the SDK and not the runtime if you want to be able to do software development with. I do not know if it is 100% compliant with the Oracle version of Java, however it should be enough to cover most developer's needs.