OSX and Java

[rob]

Hi,

I want to buy an Apple computer but i read a lot of articles about people
complains on Apple that doesn't update their jdk/jvm so often like Sun.

It is a good choice programming Java (swing application that can run on
other systems too) on OSX even if the jdk is not released by Sun ?

It is fully compatible with the jre/jdk from Sun?

Sorry for the banal questions but i want to be sure before buying a mac.

Thanks for the answers.
Bye

 

[Dave Miller]

Hi,

I want to buy an Apple computer but i read a lot of articles about people
complains on Apple that doesn't update their jdk/jvm so often like Sun.

It is a good choice programming Java (swing application that can run on
other systems too) on OSX even if the jdk is not released by Sun ?

It is fully compatible with the jre/jdk from Sun?

Sorry for the banal questions but i want to be sure before buying a mac.

Thanks for the answers.
Bye

Macs are using Sun JVM but they are only able to update them using Apple
Update. Information on current versions here:

http://developer.apple.com/java/

 

[Arne Vajhøj]

I want to buy an Apple computer but i read a lot of articles about people
complains on Apple that doesn't update their jdk/jvm so often like Sun.

It is a good choice programming Java (swing application that can run on
other systems too) on OSX even if the jdk is not released by Sun ?

It is fully compatible with the jre/jdk from Sun?

Sorry for the banal questions but i want to be sure before buying a mac.

The standard way is:
- SUN releases for Windows+Solaris+Linux
- the company delivering other operating systems releases 0-2
years after

I think Apple is decent compared to others.

Arne

 

[Andrew Thompson]

..
I want to buy an Apple computer but i read a lot of articles about people
complains on Apple that doesn't update their jdk/jvm so often like Sun.

It is a good choice programming Java (swing application that can run on
other systems too) on OSX even if the jdk is not released by Sun ?

I'd say 'yes' on the basis that an app. developed
using Java 1.2 (for example) can be run on 1.2, 1.3,
1.4 (..etc.).

If using a Java 1.6 SDK, we are still able to develop
apps. for an earlier Java version, but it requires
jumping through some hoops to ensure the bytecodes
do not use any classes, methods or attributes that
were not defined in the earlier Java. See the
-bootclasspath option of the javac documentation
for more details about that.

 

[Richard Maher]

Hi Arne,

The standard way is:
- SUN releases for Windows+Solaris+Linux
- the company delivering other operating systems releases 0-2
years after

I think Apple is decent compared to others.

Any word yet on Java support for the iPhone? I thought SUN were saying
"we'll do that!" - unlike Mac OSX.

Or was it a recentish revalation that Scott McNealy's wife is forbidden from
owning or using an iPhone or iPod?

Arne

Regards Richard Maher

 

[John B. Matthews]

I regularly do cross-development on Mac using NetBeans, Eclipse, or my
favorite text editor and a terminal.

It is fully compatible with the jre/jdk from Sun?

Sorry for the banal questions but i want to be sure before buying
a mac.

Thanks for the answers.

[...]
Macs are using Sun JVM but they are only able to update them using
Apple Update. Information on current versions here:

http://developer.apple.com/java/

Saying that Macs use a "Sun JVM" is not correct.

Sun maintains the reference releases for Windows, Solaris and Linux
platforms. Apple handles its own. And while I'm an ardent Mac
supporter, I'm not happy that Apple has indeed lagged well behind
Sun's own release schedules. But the latest Mac OS X does have a
Java 1.6 implementation available, although it's 64-bit only and not
supported on PowerPC systems. There's a 1.5 release for both, though
I think it's behind Sun's own updates.

Good point. Here's a recent snapshot:

$ java -version
java version "1.4.2_18"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.4.2_18-b08-314)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.4.2-90, mixed mode)

$ java -version
java version "1.5.0_16"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.5.0_16-b06-284)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.5.0_16-133, mixed mode, sharing)

$ java -version
java version "1.6.0_07"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_07-b06-153)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 1.6.0_07-b06-57, mixed mode)

There's a nice GUI Java Preferences application that soft-links the
desired version without changing $JAVA_HOME.

 

[rob]

Il Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:33:57 -0400, John B. Matthews ha scritto:

I regularly do cross-development on Mac using NetBeans, Eclipse, or my
favorite text editor and a terminal.
[...]
Good point. Here's a recent snapshot:

$ java -version
java version "1.4.2_18"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.4.2_18-b08-314)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.4.2-90, mixed mode)

$ java -version
java version "1.5.0_16"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.5.0_16-b06-284)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.5.0_16-133, mixed mode, sharing)

$ java -version
java version "1.6.0_07"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_07-b06-153)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 1.6.0_07-b06-57, mixed mode)

There's a nice GUI Java Preferences application that soft-links the
desired version without changing $JAVA_HOME.

I read that for the majaor release there is a gap of about 10 months (if
you can confirm) from the Sun release to the Apple release.

But what about the minor releases?
For example now you have the 1.6.0_07 and Sun has the 1.6.0_13, but i am
wondering, is the version system for the minor release the same?
The 1.6.0_07 from Apple is the same 1.6.0_07 from Sun, or they have their
version system?

Bye

 

[John B. Matthews]

Il Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:33:57 -0400, John B. Matthews ha scritto:

rob wrote:

I want to buy an Apple computer but i read a lot of articles
about people complains on Apple that doesn't update their
jdk/jvm so often like Sun.

It is a good choice programming Java (swing application that
can run on other systems too) on OSX even if the jdk is not
released by Sun ?

I regularly do cross-development on Mac using NetBeans, Eclipse, or
my favorite text editor and a terminal.

It is fully compatible with the jre/jdk from Sun?

Sorry for the banal questions but i want to be sure before
buying a mac.

Thanks for the answers.

[...] Good point. Here's a recent snapshot:

$ java -version java version "1.4.2_18" Java(TM) 2 Runtime
Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.4.2_18-b08-314) Java
HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.4.2-90, mixed mode)

$ java -version java version "1.5.0_16" Java(TM) 2 Runtime
Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.5.0_16-b06-284) Java
HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.5.0_16-133, mixed mode, sharing)

$ java -version java version "1.6.0_07" Java(TM) SE Runtime
Environment (build 1.6.0_07-b06-153) Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server
VM (build 1.6.0_07-b06-57, mixed mode)

There's a nice GUI Java Preferences application that soft-links the
desired version without changing $JAVA_HOME.

I read that for the majaor release there is a gap of about 10 months
(if you can confirm) from the Sun release to the Apple release.

Oh, I don't follow the bug parade that closely. The older releases are
fairly stable. Few cross-platform problems I encounter are actual bugs.

But what about the minor releases? For example now you have the
1.6.0_07 and Sun has the 1.6.0_13, but i am wondering, is the version
system for the minor release the same? The 1.6.0_07 from Apple is
the same 1.6.0_07 from Sun, or they have their version system?

<http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Java/Conceptual/Java14Developme
nt/00-Intro/JavaDevelopment.html>

 

[Arne Vajhøj]

Any word yet on Java support for the iPhone? I thought SUN were saying
"we'll do that!" - unlike Mac OSX.

I don't think it is available.

I don't know if it will ever be.

Arne