Robocode/System Requirements

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This page describes the system requirements for installing and running Robocode.

Robocode requires Java

In order to install and run Robocode, JavaTM must be installed on your system. The current version of Robocode requires at least Java 5 (aka Java 1.5.0) or newer. Java can be downloaded for free, and will run on most operating systems. Also note that, when we refer to Java, we mean Java SE (Standard Edition).

Before downloading and installing Java, you should first check if you have a sufficient Java installation already. You can check this from this page: http://www.java.com/en/download/installed.jsp

JRE and JDK

You can choose between installing:

  • The JRE (Java Runtime Environment), which consists of the Java Virtual Machine used for executing Java programs.
  • The JDK (Java Development Kit), which contains a bundle of software for developing Java programs, including the JRE.

The JRE is the core part of Java - it typically takes up less space on your system and is faster to download. Robocode requires just a JRE; if you are new to Java and just want to have a quick look at Robocode, it is recommended that you get this smaller version. If you are already used to programming in Java, you might prefer the JDK. Note that you can always install the JRE first and the JDK later on if you want to. Also, if you have a JRE but no JDK, Robocode will automatically set up the Jikes compiler.

32-bit vs. 64-bit Java

If you do not have a 64-bit operating system, you should never install a 64-bit version of Java. If you are running 64-bit, then the normal Java versions will probably run just fine on your 64-bit system. In general, it is recommended that to stick to the 32-bit versions of Java on Windows x64, unless you need install the newest versions of Java 6 Update 12 (64-bit) or never. With older versions you migth need to setup additional stuff in order to run Java properly on your Windows x64.

Making sure Java is configured properly

95% of the problems people run into when installing and running Robocode are due to a faulty Java installation, wrong Java configuration, bad Java VM implementation, etc. Please read and follow the installation notes for how to install and configure Java for your specific system.

Installation Notes from Sun

PATH must be set

Make sure that you add JAVA_HOME\bin (on Windows) to your PATH environment variable, e.g. PATH=%PATH%;JAVA_HOME\bin (on Windows), and PATH=$PATH:$JAVA_HOME/bin (on Linux). Note that it is really important that you point at the 'bin' folder, and not just JAVA_HOME. The PATH must be set so your system knows where to locate java.exe, which is used to start the Java VM that Robocode requires.

Multiple Java installations

In some cases, people have more than one version of the JRE and/or JDK installed in their system. This is not necessarily a problem as long as your system has been properly configured to handle all of them. So if you (or any of your programs) don't need an older version of Java, then should uninstall it. The less Java Runtime Environments you have installed, the better, as your system is less likely to get confused when it has to choose which Java version to use.

Java from Sun is preferred

If you must choose between Java versions from different vendors, you should prefer the versions from Sun Microsystems. They are the official Java providers and, in general, have the least buggy Java implementation. If you use Java from other vendors, Robocode might not run stable.

See also

Tutorials

News and Releases

Home pages

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