Microsoft introduced a new installer to make it easier to code with the No. 1 programming language, Java, in the No. 1 development environment, Visual Studio Code.

With the Extension Pack for Java, VS Code makes a highly capable Java IDE and formidable competitor to Eclipse, NetBeans, and IntelliJ IDEA.

Microsoft's Visual Studio Code team for Java development added a new Coding Pack for Java installer and detailed best practices for setting up a development environment.

This post explains how to install Java or check which version is running on your machine. Install on any OS, and learn about the JDK.

Planned Java-related improvements for VS Code range from smarter code completion and better debugging to deeper integration with Kubernetes and cloud services.