Seeking Java install clarifications and insight

[Aubrey Barnard]

Esteemed oracles,

I am looking for someone to help me with this GCJ vs. Sun's Java thing, or
point me to a good explanation.

I installed Fedora 5 not too long ago, and now I want to get back to
working on a Java project of mine. I was using Sun's Java 5 for
development and incorporated Java 5 features. I looked at using GCJ
because that would be the most compatible with --and in the spirit of--
Fedora. However, the page at http://gcc.gnu.org/java/ is discouraging;
Java 5 features are not supported, java.nio is not fully working, no AWT
or Swing, etc. My project requires more than GCJ can provide at the
moment.

Previously I just installed Sun's Java with Sun's installer and made
everything work via symlinks and/or environment variables. The other users
of my machine have no need for Java, so this was fine.

I want to work within the Fedora framework to the best of my ability, but
after looking around, using Sun's Java on Fedora looks like a mess. I am
tempted to go back to my previous methods. This means more maintenance for
me as I would have to do my own updates rather than using yum.

I can find plenty of instructions on how to install Sun's Java on Fedora
and get it working. What mystifies me is that I have seen at least 3
wholly different methods, none which answer the question why. So I am
stuck wondering what the differences are between the different
installation methods and why they do what they do. (Why all this rpm
rebuilding, etc.? The other method doesn't do this.)


What I know:
I get the difference about free vs. proprietary and know that with Sun
GPL-ing Java last year (and libraries this year) that Fedora 8 may
incorporate Sun's Java.


What I want to know:
Why is the installation of Sun's Java so complicated?
Why doesn't the normal path of install with yum and run work?
What is with all the "compat" stuff?
How safe is it for GCJ and Sun's Java to coexist?
How does JPackage provide me Sun's Java?
When Sun releases the source for their libraries under the GPL, how does
this affect GCJ?
What is the best set of install instructions to use based on
compatibility, stability, ease of use, ease of (un)installation?
With all the complications, is it really so bad to just install Sun's Java
per Sun's instructions and do what I did previously which was not
integrated into Fedora?


As a Java developer I want to understand the situation beyond "just do X
and Java will be installed." I want to understand enough that I can
understand the reasons behind the multiple installation methods, what the
pros/cons of each method are, and which one I should choose.

Many thanks to anyone who can help shed some light on this issue.

Aubrey Barnard



 
____________________________________________________________________________________
8:00? 8:25? 8:40? Find a flick in no time 
with the Yahoo! Search movie showtime shortcut.
http://tools.search.yahoo.com/shortcuts/#news