Class loading from /lib/ext questions
I have two JAR files in the /lib/ext directory when using the Java Plugin 1.3.1. Both the JAR files contain a class with the same name and package name. And my classpath is set to whatever the default is for the Java Plugin.
1. Which class will the Plugin use, the one in jar1 or in jar2 (call them first.jar and second.jar)
2. What if other classes are used in second.jar prior to ever accessing first.jar, will the JVM use the class (with the same name) in second.jar when it is finally accessed?
3. Does alphabetical order of the JAR files matter?
4. When the Java Plugin initially loads, do the JAR files that are in the /lib/ext directory automatically get loaded into memory and are they never accessed from disk again?
A more general question is how does the class loader work when looking for classes (look in memory, classpath, etc. in what order).
