[rfk-dev] porters

[Nick Moffitt]

begin  Brian Enigma  quotation:
> >         The real test is if it works with gcj and kaffe.  Not
> > everyone has the proprietary Sun javur runtime libs.
> As I recall, I stuck with either the Java 1.1 or 1.2 spec.  I would
> like to say because it was the lowest common denominator of Java
> supported by browsers at the time I wrote it--but the real reason is
> because I was developing with the Linux version of Netscape, which
> at that time only supported the older version of Java.  

	But that's Sun's proprietary Java, yes?

> I am not sure it works with Kaffe, (that is only an interpreter, not
> a compiler, correct?), but it should compile with jikes and because
> it is an applet, not an application, it should run on whatever Java
> is integrated with your browser of choice.  

	Kaffe *is* the Java integrated with my browser of choice.
Kaffe is the *only* free software java runtime.  All the rest have
draconian license restrictions on them.

> I do not really have enough recent experience with the state of gcj
> to know whether or not that will work.  I am not sure I would get
> too hung up on the compiler licensing.  Compilation only needs to
> happen once, and running is handled by a browser that supports
> Java--most of which are free--and have either licensed it from Sun,
> written their own, or have been slapped with an injunction to use
> Sun's Java in 120 days.  ;)

	There are free compilers, to be sure.  THere's gcj (compiles
to native machine code) and jikes (compiles to java bytecode).  But
that ignores the question of proprietary lock-in on the part of java
runtimes and virtual machines.  There exist great virtual machines,
but the runtime libraries are under lock and key by Sun and Blackdown
and folks.