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macOS Java 1.6 bugs in Mac OS X

F

FractalBob

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 25, 2010
8
0
I notice that there are some pretty glaring bugs in the Java 1.6 libraries for Mac OS X, so much so that a Facebook app I wrote is all but impossible to run. My questions are:

1. Who developed and tested the version of Java that gets shipped with new Macs: Sun, Apple or another party?

2. Does Apple plan to release code fixes anytime soon for Java?

2. Are there any cleaner versions of Java for the Mac available and if so, where can I get them?

I'm looking specifically for a reliable, quality Java plug-in for Safari and/or Firefox, as my app uses the browser (although I suspect the problems extend to the desktop). Thanks, in advance!

Bob
 
The Apple policy about Java is a bit annoying.

You can only get new versions from Apple, so when a new version of Java comes out, you have to wait until the Apple java guys decide to make it available. In some cases even the new versions are only available to registered developers.

I faced some bugs en 1.5 time, bugs that bugs weren't in the Sun official version. So I fill the bug and wait for the new version.
 
Cromulent said:
I haven´t seen the level of problems that you describe. In fact Glassfish runs without a hitch on my Mac.

If you really want a different implementation then there is SoyLatte:

http://landonf.bikemonkey.org/static/soylatte/
Click to expand...

I'm guessing the OP is writing an applet. I've used Tomcat, Glassfish and Jetty for webapps on OS X and haven't noticed any problems (maybe I'm not looking hard enough) but perhaps the plug-in has issues. It's hard to say without any details of the bugs the OP is running into.

The only major issue with Java that I've come across recently is a problem with an earlier version of the Sun compiler on Linux crashing while building a GWT app (it worked fine on OS X).
 
lee1210 said:
Apple provides the java implementation. Report a bug:
http://bugreport.apple.com/

-Lee
Click to expand...

First of all, the link you provided requires an Apple ID, such as for ADC members, and I'm not about to pay Apple in order for the privilege of telling them about bugs in their software.

Secondly, there is a way for non-members to tell Apple about bugs, which I did a week ago. So far, no reply.
 
plinden said:
I'm guessing the OP is writing an applet. I've used Tomcat, Glassfish and Jetty for webapps on OS X and haven't noticed any problems (maybe I'm not looking hard enough) but perhaps the plug-in has issues. It's hard to say without any details of the bugs the OP is running into.

The only major issue with Java that I've come across recently is a problem with an earlier version of the Sun compiler on Linux crashing while building a GWT app (it worked fine on OS X).
Click to expand...

You're correct: my FB app consists of 4 applets, several of which use the Java JTree object which exhibits a minor bug on Mac OS X. But the worst thing is that the user is unable to update files on the server. Since I don't own a Mac, I can't look into the bug more closely. Perhaps the Mac thinks the applet is violating network security (it isn't: the server the applet is connecting to is the same one that launched it) or maybe it's something else.

I'm heading off to my local Apple store once again to try to glean any insight into the problem; maybe this time I'll be able to figure out how to get the Java console running with Safari.
 
robj said:
The Apple policy about Java is a bit annoying.

You can only get new versions from Apple, so when a new version of Java comes out, you have to wait until the Apple java guys decide to make it available. In some cases even the new versions are only available to registered developers.

I faced some bugs en 1.5 time, bugs that bugs weren't in the Sun official version. So I fill the bug and wait for the new version.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, that's an unpalatable option for me. It seems that most Facebook members use Macs, which would explain why I'm seeing 1100+ clicks on my home page but only a dozen or so user profiles (profiles get created in the app whenever a new user selects one of 4 links).
 
FractalBob said:
You're correct: my FB app consists of 4 applets, several of which use the Java JTree object which exhibits a minor bug on Mac OS X. But the worst thing is that the user is unable to update files on the server. Since I don't own a Mac, I can't look into the bug more closely. Perhaps the Mac thinks the applet is violating network security (it isn't: the server the applet is connecting to is the same one that launched it) or maybe it's something else.

I'm heading off to my local Apple store once again to try to glean any insight into the problem; maybe this time I'll be able to figure out how to get the Java console running with Safari.
Click to expand...

If anyone would like to try the app out to see what I mean (and perhaps provide some input on what you observed), it can be invoked from Facebook via the URL http://apps.facebook.com/whatdowehaveincommon/ or externally via https://www.chiaramail.com/WhatDoWeHaveInCommon/WDWHIChome.html and select any of the 4 right-most links at the top of the page.
 
FractalBob said:
First of all, the link you provided requires an Apple ID, such as for ADC members, and I'm not about to pay Apple in order for the privilege of telling them about bugs in their software.
Click to expand...

Basic ADC membership is free and gives access to the radar bug reporter.
 
FractalBob said:
First of all, the link you provided requires an Apple ID, such as for ADC members, and I'm not about to pay Apple in order for the privilege of telling them about bugs in their software.

Secondly, there is a way for non-members to tell Apple about bugs, which I did a week ago. So far, no reply.
Click to expand...

There's a free ADC membership available, is that that what you used? Either way, I wouldn't expect a response from Apple for awhile.

Something to consider, which you probably won't want to hear, is to simply not use Applets. Applets have their place but generally developers stay away from using them to avoid just the sort of problems you're having.
 
ryan said:
There's a free ADC membership available, is that that what you used? Either way, I wouldn't expect a response from Apple for awhile.

Something to consider, which you probably won't want to hear, is to simply not use Applets. Applets have their place but generally developers stay away from using them to avoid just the sort of problems you're having.
Click to expand...

I didn't notice a free ADC membership; maybe I missed it.

As for avoiding applets, it couldn't be helped in this case. I had a bunch of Java code I wanted to leverage for this app and I couldn't have completed it in the timeframe I wanted if I had to write everything from scratch. Using existing code, I was able to complete the project in less than 4 weeks. It required over 5900 lines of Java, but the mods I needed to make to get the code to run as applets was minuscule. I would have liked to write it using JSPs and servlets, but this seemed more expedient.

Also, since the UI used a number of different objects, including trees, buttons, text areas, text items, spinners and floating dialog boxes, I'm not sure JSPs support the richeness of the UI that the app requires.
 
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