why is the installation of java so crippled?
Hello,
Newbie java developer here.
Is it me, or does anyone else think the whole java installation/deployment is just so poor and stupid. This is what I mean:
1. I install the JDK 1.504, it installs a version of the jre within it's own directory structure (version 1.505)
2. After it's finished it runs another installer to install the jre somewhere else, the same version as installed in step 1
3. I install j2ee version 1.5, it installs it's own version of the jdk (this time version 1.4.2), and it installs it's own version of the jre, 1.4 within itself.
So, I've installed what I thought was one thing for java development and i've ended up with two different versions of the jdk and three version of the runtime.
Why? I have various other applications that themselves have installed the jre, so 10% of my hard disk (slight exaggeration there, but you know what I mean) is just various installations of the same jre.
Surely it can't be that hard to check for a version and install it if it needs it, and (in the case of the jdk installation) not install it twice.
Now, I'm completely confused as to what version of what my java development system is using.
Now take .NET, yes there are various versions (1.1, 2, 3), but they simply install themselves once in the same directory and that's it. You know exactly where you are and what you're using.
[1427 byte] By [
neilneila] at [2007-11-26 20:07:58]
> Hello,
> Newbie java developer here.
>
> Is it me, or does anyone else think the whole java
> installation/deployment is just so poor and stupid.
> This is what I mean:
>
> 1. I install the JDK 1.504, it installs a version of
> the jre within it's own directory structure (version
> 1.505)
>
> 2. After it's finished it runs another installer to
> install the jre somewhere else, the same version as
> installed in step 1
>
> 3. I install j2ee version 1.5, it installs it's own
> version of the jdk (this time version 1.4.2), and it
> installs it's own version of the jre, 1.4 within
> itself.
>
> So, I've installed what I thought was one thing for
> java development and i've ended up with two different
> versions of the jdk and three version of the
> runtime.
>
> Why? I have various other applications that
> themselves have installed the jre, so 10% of my hard
> disk (slight exaggeration there, but you know what I
> mean) is just various installations of the same jre.
>
> Surely it can't be that hard to check for a version
> and install it if it needs it, and (in the case of
> the jdk installation) not install it twice.
>
> Now, I'm completely confused as to what version of
> what my java development system is using.
>
> Now take .NET, yes there are various versions (1.1,
> 2, 3), but they simply install themselves once in the
> same directory and that's it. You know exactly where
> you are and what you're using.
What about a place that develops for multiple clients ?
Suppose client a only uses 1.3 client b uses 1.4 and client c uses 1.6
Wouldn't it be nice to have the right compiler for the specific client ?
As far as it installing x number of different versions I haven't noticed on my system, but i'm not worried about using 120 megs for java or whatever it is up to.
