Thread: Understanding layers of system logic. Clarity for what "SDK" & "JDK" mean

This is what I know/think:
SDK = software development kit
What this means to me is that there are set of classes/programs(maybe?) that aren't written in java that interface with other non java-language built items(hardware/software/protocols) in the system.

JDK = java development kit.
Just a set of java classes that stand as a basic layer above the sdk to interface with.

Am I right about this? I need to know for my "knowledge journey"


I'm asking because right now I'm downloading "Java Platform, Enterprise Edition 7 SDK (with JDK 7u40)" and I don't really know what I'm adding. I just know I need them both. I'm actually not even sure if downloading this and then just running the .exe is going to give me what I want. I already have eclipse. I'm not sure how to bind the two so that I can make a final product. but that's for a different topic.

Oracle has many articles on the various parts, what they are, and how they work together. Of course, they're biased towards their own IDE, Netbeans, but you can still read their info and get the message realizing that Netbeans is an option just as Eclipse is an option. Please read those and come back if you need help. I think you're overthinking it, but that's okay. We're all different.