[Vicaya-user] RFC - distributing the JRE

[Alexander E G. <lx...@po...>]

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  Thoughts on Vicaya
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distributing the JRE
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I have been struggling with the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) on
CDROM with technical, legal, and usability concerns.

The JRE is a standard framework necessary to run any Java application
on a host machine. The JRE contains a virtual machine that translates
system calls from a Java application to the underlying operating
system. It is possible to install a JRE virtual machine on just about
every modern operating system. By targeting the virtual machine, a
Java application can run on any machine for which there is a JRE.

Technical issues. For compatibility with Macintosh and older operating
systems, I have targeted JRE version 1.4.2. Mac OS X 10.3, through
10.5 come preinstalled with a JRE compatible with Java 1.4.2. I have
experimented with JRE's from Sun, IBM, and GNU, on Windows and Linux,
from writable (hard drive) and read-only (CDROM) media. Results vary.

Legal. Both IBM and Sun impose certain restrictions regarding
distribution of their JRE. These are not show-stoppers, but restrict
development flexibility.

Usability. The results of various JRE's are not 100% compatible when
running off of the CDROM. Running from the CDROM is significantly
(though adequately) slower than from the hard drive. The configuration
of a JRE (pre-existing or a version packaged with Vicaya on CDROM)
will be confusing for most users.

I would like your thoughts on the following consideration:

I would like to distribute Vicaya on CDROM with various JRE
installation packages. Vicaya may run from the CDROM, but the JRE will
not run from the CDROM. Vicaya will attempt to run with the assumption
that a JRE is already installed on the computer.

If a JRE has not already been installed, the Vicaya will gracefully
fail. The user may then locate the appropriate JRE on the CDROM and
use the vendor provided JRE installation. Alternatively they may
obtain the latest JRE from the web. These steps can be documented
fairly easily.

Most users will already have the JRE installed on their machine. The
installation process is no more difficult than installing other
professional programs downloaded from the internet.

Users who download Vicaya can also download the appropriate JRE at the
same time. The Vicaya download will be significantly smaller.



Alex
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