Re: [gentoo-dev] JRE support - is it worth it?

[Todd Berman <tberman@gentoo.org>]

Just as a side note, there is ABSOLUTELY reason to compile java packages
from source.

In many ebuilds that I write and commit to the tree, I use the jikes and
debug USE variables to customize the build. So there seem to be at least
5 different 'machine independent' bytecode possibilities. (At least last
time i looked jikes-generated code was not exactly the same as blackdown
generated code).

Now, this email isnt either in favor or against removing the JRE, just
giving some additional information.

--Todd

On Tue, 2003-05-20 at 12:32, Chris Davies wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I for one do not wish to see JRE support dropped from gentoo, and have a number of reasons why.
> 
> Having installed gentoo over 56K modems a number of times, I would have found it immensely frustrating had I had to install a JDK just to get Java support in mozilla and it's derivatives. We are talking 5+ hours for a JDK, compared to only 2 for a JRE. Now I have broadband, it is easy to overlook those people who can't get fast connectivity, but I don't think they should be neglected merely for the sake of simplifying a supporting script. The majority, I suspect, only have any Java product on their machine to get the java plugin.
> 
> Secondly, there is simply no advantage to compiling java applications on the system in question. It is a complete waste of time. Java compiles into machine independant bytecode. The same Java code compiled by the same compiler on two different architectures should produce exactly the same result. So unless you plan to offer gcj as an alternative compilation tool, compiling from source is utter waste of the user's time. It is dogmatic in the extreme to suggest that because we compile programs that generate machine dependant object code on the system itself, all programs on the system should be compiled. Compilation is a means to an end, that end being object code that is more efficient than offered by binary distributions. In cases where the build process is long or difficult, often binaries are offered (openoffice-bin and phoenix-bin spring to mind), so saying this is a source distribution is false. I firmly beleive Java packages should be offered as binary until gcj is fit to compile them, and that one or other of the JREs should be the default Java environment. 
> 
> It is true that some packages do require a JDK, like Tomcat, but I can't see that as being a reason that all Java packages must require a JDK. It should be pointed out that Tomcat is distributed as a binary, so the JDK is only a runtime dependancy. Why inflict the JDK on users who neither want or need it?
> 
> Well, thats my rant of the day over with :)
> 
> Thanks,
> C.Davies



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