Following these steps is recommended before start writing your code:
1- Make sure you have JDK (1.4) installed in your system.
2- You should have a development environment: Any text editor will do.  You can use JBuilder or any IDE recommended by sun.
Text  editors to consider: are Textpad, Ultraedit, Wordpad, or even notepad.
3- Test that your compiler is properly installed by typing "javac" at the prompt.  It should ask you for input file if everything goes well.
4- Go get yourself a cup of coffee and come back.
5- Start you text editor and start coding (this step must be done ABSOLUTELY after you have finished your desing and thinking).
6- Make sure you include the required libraries. (refer for to the example on the class' webpage: FileOutputDemo.java)
7- It is crucial that you save the file as xxx.java where xxx is the same as the name of the class in the file.
8- Note that if you are using some text editors (such as Notepad) the extension txt will be added automamtically (the name will become xxx.java.txt). SO make sure you remove the .txt and keep the filename as xxx.java
9- at the command prompt type the following:
	javac xxx.java
10- if everything goes well, you should have a file called xxx.class in the same directory as xxx.java
11- if you made mistake coding some information about the errors will be displayed along with the line numbers so go back to your text editor and fix them
12- after fixing the error you should have xxx.class (as in step 11)
13- now type the following at the command prompt:
	java xxx
this should run the program.