1. Java is a statically typed language so yes, the types need to be defined and known at compile time. Some people like static typing, others not so much. If you fall into the second group, there's a whole lot of dinamically typed languages you can try out.

2. Java is also object-oriented. This means that, in java, all the functions are methods of objects. There are no 'universal' functions which are not attached to objects in any way. Again, some people think that the object-oriented approach is a good thing which more accurately describes the world we live in, and some don't [1]. It's up to you to decide whether you think OO is a good or a bad thing.

3. Regarding Eclipse.. Go to http://eclipse.org/downloads/, choose the installation which suits you best (if you're going to do some standard java development, then obviously you'll choose the first installation, 'Eclipse IDE for Java developers'). If you later wish to develop for other languages (or write enterprise java apps), no problem, Eclipse is very extensible so you can always include the appropriate plugin in your current Eclipse installation.

[1] http://www.google.com/search?q=object-oriented+programming+s...