Major Java Errors (Very Odd)

[Chris Miller]

On Fri, Feb 15, 2008 at 12:06 PM, Derek Broughton <news at pointerstop.ca> wrote:
> Chris Miller wrote:
>  > On Fri, Feb 15, 2008 at 8:15 AM, Richard <cms0009 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >>  WOW, it would appear most of the JAVA is in the "/usr/lib/jvm" , then
>  >>  /usr, then /etc/java-6/
>  >>
>  >>  Q. Since this machine is my desktop machine, which is running the same
>  >>  java6 install, as my laptop... and both have the SAME PATH=, for Java...
>  >>  and my Desktop is working FINE, then what gives ? it does not make
>  >>  since..
>  >
>  > there's some nonsense with /etc/alternatives that you need to set
>  > then...  I can't remember what.
>
>  Hardly nonsense, and it's update-java-alternatives.

I found the whole concept rather inane when I first ran into it.

>  >>  So, it can't be the PATH=, problem, something is not install correctly
>  >>  with JAVA on the Notebook, would appear to be the correct answer...
>  >>  But, I don't know how to find the item or items that are having a
>  >>  problem.
>  >>
>  >>  Some have mention to remove that java and install java 7
>  >
>  > I wouldn't suggest that.  Only do that if you're a developer and
>  > trying to make JDK7 compliant stuff.
>
>  Yeah, after I installed Java 6, I discovered I had to install Java 5 because
>  so many apps refused to run on Java 6 (Java programmers seem to have a bad
>  habit of checking for _specific_ versions, instead of >= versionN).  I
>  won't make that mistake with Java 7.

I never made that mistake :)

I think it's because most Java programmers confuse the JDK with the
JRE.  The Java Compiler uses the JDK to create byte-code, which is
technically JRE-independent.  Moving JRE versions does not change the
binary compatibility.  At least that's how I learned it, and I was
fairly deep into Java too.

I think most Java developers are a little brain damaged.  The
simplicity of Java and it's build process (it's far easier than any
other language I've ever worked with!) doesn't make the programmer
learn what the computer is actually doing.  As a result I don't see a
high level of comprehension about the important details of the Java
language, hence the creation of many silly mistakes like your version
incompatibility.

Once I wrote a fairly comprehensive version comparison for JRE version
verification.  That was only because I wasn't sure my application
could run reliably on an older JRE because the application was fairly
resource-intensive and I didn't want to find out how bad it could
crash on JRE 1.4.2 (I was using Java 1.5 at the time, which was a
quantum leap from 1.4.2).

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