Another Classpath question

[Alton Goodman]

I'm attempting to learn java using the tutorial at java.sun.com.  My
platform is Linux 2.0.30, a Slackware install.  I installed jdk1.1.6v4a
per the instructions in the README file.  I haven't set the CLASSPATH
env variable.

So I wrote a program Date.java and placed it in a package named
packages.  packages is a subdirectory in my home directory.  Here is a
snippet:
package packages;

import java.lang.*;
import java.util.StringTokenizer;


public class Date extends Object {
  private int iMM = 1;
  private int iYY = 1998;
  private int iDD = 1;
        .
        .
        .
  public static void main( String[] args ) {
    int i = 0;
    Date[] d1 = {
      new Date( 12, 9, 2010 ),
      new Date( 0, 9, 2010 ),
      new Date( 12, 0, 2010 ),
      new Date( 12, 9, 0 ),
      new Date( 2, 29, 2000 ),
      new Date( 2, 29, 2001 ),
      new Date( 2, 29, 2004 ),
      new Date( 10, 7, 1998 ),
      new Date( "February", 14, 1999 ),
      new Date( "February", 29, 2000 ),
      new Date( "February", 29, 2001 ),
      new Date( "5/22/1972" ),
      new Date( "2/29/1972" ),
      new Date( "2/29/2000" ),
      new Date( "2/29/1973" )
    };
}

I moved Date.class to ~/packages and rm'd Date.java and Date.class from
the subdirectory that they had been created in.  Then I wrote
Testdate.java to test Date.class :).  Testdata.java:
import packages.Date;


public class Testdate {
  public static void main( String[] args ) {

    Date d1 = new Date( 2 , 25, 2000 );

    System.out.println( d1.getDate() );
  }
}

BTW, Date.java does have a constructor and an accessor function.  I
compile Testdate.java using:
javac -classpath .:~/:/opt/jdk1.1.6v4a/lib/classes.zip Testdate.java

The compile executes without warnings or errors.  But when I attempt to
run the app using:
java -classpath .:~/:/opt/jdk1.1.6v4a/lib/classes.zip Testdate.class
java complains that it cannot find Testdate.class.

Could someone help me?  I'm purposefully created a class that would have
a name clash in attempting to learn packages.

Thanks in Advance,
Al