Book excerpt: Advanced Placement programs allow students to take college-level courses while still in high school. The AP programs are managed by the College Board. The AP® Computer Science A course provides an introduction to computer science. The course introduces the fundamentals of computer programming with a focus on object-oriented programming methodology, problem solving, and algorithm development. During the course, students will be asked to write and test several programs with various degrees of difficulty. Students need the proper tools to do the work. Unlike any class in high school, AP Computer Science provides students with experience that prepares them for the working world, and it is one of the first courses that re-use algebra knowledge in a practical way.Employers are always looking for practical experience. The best way to stand out is to demonstrate that you are familiar with tools used by professional programmers. There are many Java development tools available, but when it comes to Java programming, Eclipse is the tool frequently used in the industry. Eclipse is a popular Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that supports Java, C/C++, and web development. The goal of this little book is to get you familiar with Eclipse development. The various chapters provide the instructions to download, install, and use Eclipse for Java development. Various chapters have hands-on exercises so that you can use Eclipse to help with homework, GridWorld, and study for the APCS exam.