Re: [Java-gnome-developer] naming and distribution issues

[R. A. R. D. <riv...@ya...>]

--- Elias Martenson <el...@al...> wrote:
> lör 2003-11-15 klockan 15.12 skrev Mark Howard:
> > On Sat, Nov 15, 2003 at 02:53:24PM +0100, Elias Martenson wrote:
> > > If the Java packages were standardised in any way, the logical
> place to
> > > put them would be $JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/ext
> > 
> > Sorry, I disagree completely.
> > Why should Java be treated differently to the rest of the Unix
> system?
> > What is $JAVA_HOME ? $SUN_JAVA_HOME? That's just ridiculous
> limiting a
> > system to one JVM.
> 
> Hmm... yeah maybe you're right. But how do you make sure that the VM
> always finds the GNOME libraries without having to add silly -D and
> LD_LIBRARY_PATH parameters?
> 
I don't think as a good idea to put all java packages in
$JAVA_HOME/jre/lib/ext for some reasons:

1. Some times packages are incompatible between them, if I let the Java
VM load all, applications can break. For me that's the strong reason
for not to do that. I think libraries like jars should be into one
folder like system and application libraries, but each application must
select explicity which jars to use. That can ve achieved using
Class-Path attribute on the manifest.mf. A well integrated JavaVM
should look for packages relative to the application jar, then in
"common" folder like /usr/lib/java or equivalent. Meanwhile "launch
scripts" should add specific "system" jars to the classpath before
launching the app, or in this particular case (cause gnome only run on
unix/linux) directly putting the full path in Class-Path attribute.

2. I agree with the previous comment. Installation must not depend on
the JavaVM installed. In fact that's the point with java!

3. If the user have a JRE and not a full sdk that won't work either.

4. What will happen the day that the Java VM is part of the OS itself
and there is no $JAVA_HOME ? Java and OS integration is one thing I
hope to see some day.

rivas

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