Chapter 16. Java on Mac OS X
Mac OS X has always shipped with a Java runtime included. Panther includes two versions of the Java 2 Standard Edition virtual machine (JVM): J2SE 1.3.1 and J2SE 1.4.1. In the days of Classic, there were different virtual machines available from different vendors and different versions for each release or update. Before Mac OS X was released, however, Apple decided that a single JVM would provide a consistent user experience and that it was their responsibility to provide the JVM.
With the first release of Mac OS X, Apple drew a line in the sand. They would support Java 2 on Mac OS X and not on any previous version of their operating system. Similarly, when Apple released their version of J2SE 1.4.1 in early 2003, they announced that they would support only Jaguar and beyond. Panther includes both versions of the JVM to support legacy programs that require J2SE 1.3.1. J2SE 1.4.2 will likely be released before this book is available and will be supported in Panther and higher.
This chapter provides an overview of the tools available for
developing and running Java applets and applications on Mac OS X. All
of the standard command-line tools, such as
java, jar, and
javadoc are available. Much of
Apple’s added value, though, lies mostly in the
user-friendly enhancements for running Java applications that look
and feel like double-clickable native applications.
Java Tools and Applications
You will find the most commonly used preinstalled Java tools and applications ...
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