Java runtime environment
 

I'm trying to install Java runtime environment on my debian machine and have downloaded the .bin file, but have no idea where to go from there...I tried apt-get, but it "could find the package".

You have to execute the binary file.
If you have Debian, there are some Java debian pacjages, you just have to search for them google. Java is not included in the official Debian repositories since it's commercial software.

Did you see this;
http://www.java.com/en/download/help...selfextracting

Try the following commands, you probably have to be root.

chmod u+x theedownloadedfile.bin
./thedownloadedfile.bin

thanks a ton!

.bin file is a binary (executable). Just run it (or if it's not executable run chmod a+x filename.bin before).