[Jython-users] Jython via Java Web Start, minimizing size of jython.jar

[David R. <dr...@ri...>]

Is anyone out there deploying Jython programs via Java Web Start?

We have an existing Java application, mainly distributed via JWS, that I'm 
considering enhancing with Python code.  The problem is seamlessly getting 
the core Jython library code to the users' machines.

Having the users install it manually is not a good option -- too hard for 
some users.

I could reinvent part of JWS by writing code to look for Jython in the 
classpath, and download it if it's not there, but the JWS classloader 
issues might get ugly.

Just including Jython in our application's jar file would be easy for me, 
but would increase download times for users.  (jython.jar is about 700 kB; 
our application is about 1.2 MB.)  Obviously any solution is going to make 
the users download Jython once, but users download new versions of our 
program frequently, and I hate hitting them with that extra 700 kB every time.

www.jython.org/applets claims the Jython library is only 200 kB.  This page 
is old, but I presume that the full jython.jar was never that small, and 
someone trimmed out everything not needed by a typical applet, to create a 
minimal runtime jar that only runs Jython .class files.  Looks like zxJDBC, 
Oro (if you don't need regular expressions), the compiler and parser (if 
you don't need eval), the interactive prompt, and anything in the modules 
directory that you don't need are fair game for chopping.  Anyone already 
doing this with Jython 2.1?  If so, can you share your minimal files list?

Thanks.

-- 
David Ripton    dr...@ri...