Java Development directly from a CD

I came across the best thing for Java developers while surfing the net last week. A Live CD with Java development tools on it, Pollix. Just boot your computer using this CD and you have J2SDK 1.4.2 + Eclipse + Netbeans + BlueJ + a whole lot of other dev tools with a complete Linux GUI OS.

Plus it already has Java servers like Tomcat and JBoss installed and ready to run as well. No more installation nightmares for newbees who just want to learn.

Who would want to use this. Well if you are a student and:

• you want to have the best Java dev tools all on one CD


• you need to show off your Java work in a presentation using someone else's PC


• your netwrok admin has allowed people to boot PCs from a CD, you can have your whole development environment on a CD and can start working using any PC; you will not care about what is preinstalled on the PC itself.

This is also a great tool for Java teachers to recommend to their students. I have come across a lot of Java newbies who have trouble even setting up environment variables. I think this is a very good resource for teachers and students alike.

I have seen very often that in universities and schools the sysadmin installs Windows on all machines and students do not get a chance to see Linux at all. I think Live CDs is about to change all that. Its all about spreading the word.