If you would like to learn Java programming, the best way is by writing Java codes by yourself. To compile the Java codes then you need Java Development Kit (JDK). It can be Oracle JDK or OpenJDK. This post guides you how to install Oracle JDK 8 on Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite. It should be also applicable for previous version of OS X such as OS X Maverick, Mountain Lion, and OS X Lion. At the time of this post written, the latest version of JDK is JDK 8 Update 25.
Basically I previously had written an article how to install Java SE 7 / JDK 7 on Mac OS X Lion. I just would like to rewrite on the newest version.
1. Download Oracle JDK 8 from Oracle website. You need to accept license agreement to be able to download the file. Make sure you select the Mac OS X x64 platform (jdk-8u25-macosx-x64.dmg).
2. Double-click the downloaded file ‘jdk-8u25-macosx-x64.dmg’ and follow the on-screen installation.
Java SE Development Kit 8 Downloads. Thank you for downloading this release of the Java™ Platform, Standard Edition Development Kit (JDK™). The JDK is a development environment for building applications, applets, and components using the Java programming language. For Mac OS X 10.6 and below, use the Software Update feature (available on the Apple menu) to check that you have the most up-to-date version of Java 6 for your Mac. For issues related to Apple Java 6 on Mac, contact Apple Support. Oracle and Java.com only support Java 7 and later, and only on 64 bit systems. Mac OS X and Apple Java 6 End of Life.
3. Once it is successfully installed, it is installed inside /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/download-vlc-2-for-mac.html. folder.
4. Verify that the system is now using JDK 8.
5. If you would like to uninstall JDK 8, simply remove the jdk1.8.0_25.jdk
Hopefully this tutorial helps you on installing JDK 8 / Java SE 8 on Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite.