The work from JPackage is something that adds A LOT of value to the Java-on-Linux world. Before them, Java was a piece of junk that I had to throw someplace under /usr/local (aaaargh) or /opt (yuc, arrrrrgh !!!) and define manually one thousand envars. JPackage provides an infrastructure to receive JVMs and Java components and apps in a very organized way. Obviously all RPMs. (was there any system organization before the invention of RPM? do you folks remember Slack(argh)ware? they are still doing tar.gz!!) I can't live without JPackage. I just don't like their .nosrc.rpms, because of licensing issues..... But this will change soon, now that Sun solved their legal problems with Microsoft. Yes, I'm saying we are close to have an open source JVM. From Sun or IBM. Or both. I'm happy RHEL embraced JPackage packaging standards. Thank you Nicolas, and JPackage team. Regards, Avi On Thu, 11 Nov 2004 22:13:16 +0100, Nicolas Mailhot <nicolas.mailhot@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Le jeudi 11 novembre 2004 à 15:09 -0500, Amitabha Roy a écrit : > > Maybe someone can explain to a complete novice like me what the issue is. > > > > How does being integrated with jpackage help ? > > > > Why is Sun's java not good enough ? > > Sun packages were (and probably still are, didn't look at them for a > long time) little more than a single-root tar-like system. To help > system integration, upgrades we've repackaged most of the big linux jvms > on the market. > > Little things like consistent namings (including package naming;), > locations, virtual provides, etc enable JPackage users to switch JVMs > relatively easily without reconfiguring their whole java system. The > files themselves are extracted from the binary tar drops most vendors > provide, since we don't have access to sources (for people that really > want the original Sun packages we've also got a package that simulates a > jpp rpm by adding symlinks all over the place). > > A human can work around all the changes between one vendor package and > another but you really can't build a large package base over stuff that > is changing all the time. The main JVM repackaging aim is to provide a > stable base other Java packages can then use. > > Regards, > > -- > Nicolas Mailhot
