Fastest way to resurrect nine year-old applet?

[Ken Tilton]

Back in '98 I had someone port my C app to a Java applet, then got no
further. I am now rewriting the app in Lisp, but a customer from back in
the 90s says her students need something now. (It is Algebra software,
link in sig.)

I am actually scrounging around to see if I can find an old DOS version,
it might just work on their XP machines. As a backup (and because it
might help with marketing to get this thing going on a web site
promoting the new software) I'd like to see if I can fire up that old
applet. I do remember seeing it working when I paid the fellow.

What's the best way for a noob like me to get this thing built? I have
downloaded NetBeans and the Eclipse IDE. They look awesome, but I got
the furthest fastest with and old CodeWarrior3 CD from back in those
days (it seems the applet was delivered with a CW3 project on Mac OS9)
today by letting CW make a starter "hello world" applet for me. God how
I love starter projects! I found hello world in Eclipse and it runs,
but CW gave me the HTML and the jar and everything, boom. I could not
even find a menu item to "generate deliverable" or whatever. God forbid
I should do the tutorials. Well, I will if that is what folks recommend.

I know applets are awful, but I am trying to have this up my tonight or
tomorrow, and (correct me if I am wrong) avoiding an applet would mean a
somewhat serious effort to translate to Javascript. I hear Javascript is
a lot different, and next thing you know I am changing all the GUI stuff
and I am off on Yet Another Rewrite (it always happens to me).

A good alternative for the students would be converting to a Java
application, but now that I have started on this little exercise I am
tickled by the idea of using the applet to help market the new version
(the "beef" is the same).

Thoughts? Not to start an IDE war, but I gather Eclipse and NetBeans
rock and I see others do as well. Of course with CW3 being so nice to me
I will probably just keep going with that, but I am open to alternatives.

thx, ken

--
http://www.theoryyalgebra.com/

"Career highlights? I had two. I got an intentional walk
from Sandy Koufax and I got out of a rundown against the Mets."."
- Bob Uecker

 

[Mark Space]

Thoughts? Not to start an IDE war, but I gather Eclipse and NetBeans
rock and I see others do as well. Of course with CW3 being so nice to me
I will probably just keep going with that, but I am open to alternatives.

Sorry, not ignoring you on purpose, it's just that you don't really give
a lot of detail what the issue actually is.

You best bet might be to use NetBeans New Project -> General -> Java
Project with Existing Sources, which will create a new project with what
you got. If you have an Ant build script, use the Java Project with
Existing Ant Script one right next to it. I'm sure Eclipse has similar
functionality.

But a Web Project might be better too... hard to say. ;-) Good luck
with Code Warrior.

 

[Roedy Green]

Back in '98 I had someone port my C app to a Java applet, then got no
further. I am now rewriting the app in Lisp, but a customer from back in
the 90s says her students need something now. (It is Algebra software,
link in sig.)

There is nothing you have to do at all. You don't even need to
recompile. That would have been in the era of JDK 1.2.

If you want to recompile, you could do javac *.java
You need to build a jar. see http://mindprod.com/jgloss/jarexe.html

 

[Hunter Gratzner]

Back in '98 I had someone port my C app to a Java applet, [snip]
I do remember seeing it working when I paid the fellow.

What's the best way for a noob like me to get this thing built?

Why not do the same thing you did back in '98? Don't care about the
program. Hire a programmer to get it working again. It wasn't
apparently very important for you in '98, so why do you care now?

Chances are the programmer has to change next to nothing. A '98 applet
should already use the "new" mouse event system (introduced in '97).
If not, that might be something to change. A lot of APIs have been
deprecated since then, but they are all still there and can be used.
If that isn't appropriate, then the refactoring tools of modern Java
IDEs simplify the change of deprecated API calls to their
replacements.

I have
downloaded NetBeans
http://www.netbeans.org/kb/50/tutorial-applets.html

I know applets are awful, but I am trying to have this up my tonight or
tomorrow, and (correct me if I am wrong) avoiding an applet would mean a
somewhat serious effort to translate to Javascript.

Bullshit. You could convert the applet into a Java application and
deploy it via web start. Or deploy the Java applet via web start,
too.

I hear Javascript is
a lot different,

JavaScript has nothing to do with Java.

and next thing you know I am changing all the GUI stuff
and I am off on Yet Another Rewrite (it always happens to me).

Well, if you would care about your code and not neglect it for close
to ten years you might find that caring about the code and constantly
maintaining an application (or applet) is cheaper than rewriting the
code again and again.

Thoughts?

Hire a professional.

 

[douggunnoe]

Someone said "There is nothing you have to do at all. You don't even
need to
recompile. That would have been in the era of JDK 1.2."

Tis true. If the applet worked in 98, there is no reason it should not
work now.

If, on the other hand, there are a few changes you need to make, just
make sure the changes are good in 1.2 (or 1.1 for that matter) and use
the -target and/or -source javac switches on the command line.

"-target version
Generate class files that will work on VMs with the specified version.
The default is to generate class files to be compatible with the JDK 5
VM. When the -source 1.4 or lower option is used, the default target
is 1.4. The versions supported by javac are: 1.1 Generate class files
that will run on VMs in JDK 1.1 and later.
1.2 Generate class files that will run on VMs in JDK 1.2 and later,
but will not run on 1.1 VMs.
1.3 Generate class files that will run on VMs in JDK 1.3 and later,
but will not run on 1.1 or 1.2 VMs.
1.4 Generate class files that will run on VMs in JDK 1.4 and later,
but will not run on 1.1, 1.2 or 1.3 VMs.
1.5 Generate class files that are compatible only with JDK 5 VMs.
5 Synonym for 1.5 "

http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/tooldocs/windows/javac.html

And I wouldn't bother with hiring some knowitall condescending jackass
to do this work for you. Java is too easy.

 

[Ken Tilton]

Back in '98 I had someone port my C app to a Java applet,
[snip]

I do remember seeing it working when I paid the fellow.

What's the best way for a noob like me to get this thing built?

Why not do the same thing you did back in '98? Don't care about the
program. Hire a programmer to get it working again.

That is a possibility, but if the Java tools are any good it should not
be necessary (unless a serious overhaul is necessary). Mind you it has
been a long time so I would not be surprised if some work was needed,
and a contract to a Javan would not be out of the question. Mind you,
last time I did not hire someone who knew Java, I hired a programmer I
knew was excellent at C.

It wasn't
apparently very important for you in '98, so why do you care now?

I hired a very good programmer and paid him well to do the port last
time and that tells you it was not important? You may not be as smart as
you think you are.

Chances are the programmer has to change next to nothing. A '98 applet
should already use the "new" mouse event system (introduced in '97).
If not, that might be something to change. A lot of APIs have been
deprecated since then, but they are all still there and can be used.
If that isn't appropriate, then the refactoring tools of modern Java
IDEs simplify the change of deprecated API calls to their
replacements.




Bullshit.

Sorry, next time I will ask politely and confess up front that I am a
noob....Oh, I /did/ ask politely and confess I was a noob. Go **** yourself.

You could convert the applet into a Java application and
deploy it via web start. Or deploy the Java applet via web start,
too.

Someone else told me about Web start, sounds very handy for delivery.

JavaScript has nothing to do with Java.

That's what i heard.

Well, if you would care about your code and not neglect it for close
to ten years ...

Now you are just babbling...
kzo

--
http://www.theoryyalgebra.com/

"Career highlights? I had two. I got an intentional walk
from Sandy Koufax and I got out of a rundown against the Mets."."
- Bob Uecker

 

[Lew]

Go **** yourself.

Very pretty.

 

[Lew]

And I wouldn't bother with hiring some knowitall condescending jackass
to do this work for you. Java is too easy.

How about if he hires some competent, hard-working and clever programmer instead?

 

[Ken Tilton]

Very pretty.

Thx! I pride myself on my ability to address people in the manner they
have shown they understand best as demonstrated by how they address
others. That would be more evident had you not excised the crap to which
I was responding, but of course you had to leave that out in order to
climb up on your high horse and sound superior. Smart move!

kt

--
http://www.theoryyalgebra.com/

"Career highlights? I had two. I got an intentional walk
from Sandy Koufax and I got out of a rundown against the Mets."."
- Bob Uecker

 

[Lew]

Thx! I pride myself on my ability to address people in the manner they
have shown they understand best as demonstrated by how they address
others. That would be more evident had you not excised the crap to which
I was responding, but of course you had to leave that out in order to
climb up on your high horse and sound superior. Smart move!

Two wrongs don't make a right. You have no reason to be rude to me.

I see you exercised your right to excise the quote I did include.

Whatever the other guy said doesn't affect the esthetic value of your remark.
It is what it is, regardless of your justification.

What you call a "high horse" is my response to your public remark in a public
forum. You were not speaking just to one person, however much you might
protest that that one person deserved the full brunt of your expletive.
Others had to put up with it. It could be that I am serving your best
interests to remind you of that, to give you an opportunity to adjust the
impression you made, and that your most appropriate response would be, "Thank
you!"

 

[Doug Gunnoe]

How about if he hires some competent, hard-working and clever programmer instead?

My comment was in response to the rude comment posted by the other
user.