[1423] in Release_7.7_team
java in /usr/bin
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Abby Fox)
Mon Aug 3 16:39:30 1998
To: release-team@MIT.EDU
Cc: alexp@MIT.EDU
Date: Mon, 03 Aug 1998 16:39:18 EDT
From: Abby Fox <ajfox@MIT.EDU>
Um, so Alex has been getting various complaints about java behavior,
and realized that there are now binaries in /usr/bin which are
overriding what people expect to get when they add the java locker.
In particular, there's version skew and the locker is set up to allow
a -ver switch...
For now, he's advising people to use add -f, but he'd like to know
whether something can be done release-wise.
--Abby
------- Forwarded Message
Date: Mon, 03 Aug 1998 16:31:54 EDT
From: Alex T Prengel <alexp@MIT.EDU>
To: awalsh@MIT.EDU
cc: alexp@MIT.EDU, f_l@MIT.EDU, lerman@MIT.EDU, jud@MIT.EDU, testers@MIT.EDU
Subject: problems with java
Hello, I am the Java locker maintainer and can answer some questions/problem
reports about Java in the java locker-
>With the old Athena release, it was possible to type:
> javac -ver 1.1.5 filename.java
>to ensure that I was using version 1.1.5. The -ver option is no
>longer accepted I have seen.
The problem is that in Athena 8.2, there is a java directory on Suns
(/usr/java/bin) installed in the release whose binaries (javac, java
etc.) are earlier in the user's path than the same binaries in the
java and java_v1.1.5 etc. lockers. I had not known about this- the
solution for now is to do "add -f java" instead of "add java" and
"javac -ver 1.1.5 filename.java" and so on should work.
>I have also been unable to go directly into the /mit/java_v1.1.5
>locker and to my knowledge am unable to force the machine to use that
>bin instead of the default.
I'm not sure what you were doing, but if you do "add -f java_v1.1.5" then
the path is set to pick up the java_v1.1.5 locker binaries instead of the
ones in /usr/java/bin.
We will look into putting the /usr/java/bin things later in the path to
allow things to work as before, but "add -f" should always work.
>1) What is the default version of java on Athena now?
1.1.3 for all platforms (except NetBSD, which is 1.0.2). I intend to install
1.1.6 within the next week or two and plan to make it the default for the
Fall semester. 1.1.6 is the latest non-beta available, and although I know
betas for 1.2 (at least for Sun) are around, I prefer to wait until the
"official release" is out before putting it in a "production" locker. If
it comes out during the semester, I will set up the locker for it
(java_v1.2.0) but not make it the default.
>2) Is it still possible to use the other versions?
Yes- using the "-ver" switch you should be able to run 1.0.2, 1.1.3
and 1.1.5. If this is not the case (don't forget the -f switch to "add"),
please let me know. I plan to keep all versions around indefinitely.
On a related note- I am working on licensing for both Java Studio and
Java Workshop. This is being held up in Sun's legal department and I
have no way of knowing when things will be resolved. They have been
informed that completion of this license is urgent.
Alex Prengel
Academic Computing Support Team
Software Acquisition Coordinator
------- End of Forwarded Message
