Creating an Ubuntu VMware player virtual machine for Java Development

Four major steps:

1. Install Ubuntu
2. Install Java
3. Instal Maven (ugh)
4. Install git
5. Install Eclipse

Ok, let's get to it.

Ubuntu

Go download Ubuntu Desktop

Create a new VM in VMWare Player and choose the iso file you downloaded from Ubuntu.  

Set memory to 2gb or you'll live in a world of pain.

Now setup VMWare tools, which won't install correctly until you follow this:

http://askubuntu.com/questions/131351/how-to-install-vmware-tools

Basically, type

sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r)

Then install vmware tools by typing

vmware-config-tools.pl

Accept all the defaults.

Java

Installing Java is well documented as the answer at this URL:

Maven

Maven is the philosophical opposite of Ubuntu so installing it feels a bit like taking a dump on an altar, but many Java projects use it anyway.  Luckily, the install is the least painful thing about Maven (well, as long as you're not using Windows).

sudo apt-get install maven

git

Just follow the bitbucket instructions.  Easy.

Eclipse

Installing the base Eclipse is easy except for the icon.  I won't get into all the plugins you actually need to do work and the hell which can come out of that...

Download Eclipse here.

Open a terminal (click the Ubuntu logo in the upper left and type term and then click the terminal application that appears)

cd ~/Downloads

tar -xvf eclipsefilenamegoeshere.tar.gz

./eclipse &

Eclipse will now launch and a blank icon will appear in the launcher.  If you'd like to fix this, follow these instructions.