Mac Java 6 previews pulled from ADC site?

[miu]

They haven't been updated since last September I think, but at least provided some Java 6 for the Mac.

Is this in preparation for Leopard? Similarly, Java 5 required Tiger.

Anybody with access to Leopard dev. seeds knows what versions of Java are included? I'd appreciate this info although very soon we'll have a final product...

[elias4444]

From a friend of mine with the latest Leopard dev build:

dan$ java -version
java version "1.5.0_13"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.5.0_13-232)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.5.0_13-118, mixed mode, sharing)

[princec]

Java6 for mac is still officially a "beta" product; you'd have to enable it specifically for that commandline to show it was installed. I think.

Cas

[elias4444]

I should add that, despite Mac being stuck with Java 5 still, between LWJGL and Javolution, I don't mind not having Java 6 available to me. Java 6 does have some niceties, but nothing vital that'll keep me from making my games. 

[princec]

I'm still stuck using Java 1.4! Would like to be able to use generics and a few other nice things in 5.0 but there's still a few too many Macs around with 1.4 in them.

Cas

[elias4444]

Now there's an interesting point... I hadn't even thought of lowering my standards down to 1.4. How many Mac users are stuck with 1.4 you think? Isn't 1.5 available for all Mac users now?

[princec]

Not to 10.3 users (and even 10.2). There are a lot of them about.

Cas

[elias4444]

Well, drats! I hadn't realized that. I guess it's time to start making some games set for java 1.4. Anyone have any experience compiling their java games for 1.4 when using the latest java 5 for Mac OS X? Does it compile and work ok on 1.4 machines?

[princec]

Assuming you're using Eclipse, you can use a plugin called Retroweaver to compile 1.5-style source code into 1.4-compatible code (so you can use generics, enhanced-for, etc). All you have to be careful about is using 1.5+ API calls.

Cas

[Jon]

Argh, this is PITA since I was hoping that Macs would standardize on 6 by now...

- Jon

[elias4444]

Cas, I said it on the indie gamer boards, and I'll say it here... you're amazing!

Thanks! 

[miu]

Thanks for the info! So Leopard will have the latest 1.5.0_13 update level, at least for the moment.

Java 6 will have to be invoked using a specific path, there are versions under:
/System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions
(at least on Tiger)

One can also tinker with those links to make a specific version default.

Regarding bytecode compatibility, standard Eclipse Java project has these settings available even without plugins. Not sure how well they work though.

Apple has this amusing technical note detailing the mess regarding available version per OS version:
http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn2002/tn2110.html

Available doesn't mean average users will have it since Java updates weren't in Software Update before (I think).

[princec]

Yeah - but just remember you can't set source compatibility to 5.0 if you want to compile down to 1.4 compatible bytecode - that's where Retroweaver comes in.

Cas

[elias4444]

And, now that I've done it, retroweaver is VERY easy to implement. Especially if you already use an ANT script for building your code.

[miu]

Hmm, I just upgraded my MacBook Pro to Leopard. Everything seems to work fine so far, haven't tested much yet though.

What I can see in Java department is kinda weird:

1.3 folders remain, but this version can't be invoked directly as before. Will not be missed by many I guess.
1.4 was updated to the latest 1.4.2_16
1.5 was updated to the latest 1.5.0_13 as reported earlier
1.6 folders are present on my machine, but this version crashes, identifying itself as 1.6.0-b88-17-release. This was the last developer preview build from Sep 2006 that I installed on Tiger previously. Folder dates on my system indicate that 1.6 was not touched by the Leopard upgrade.

Could this mean that there is no Java 6 in Leopard? I'll do a clean Leopard install on a new disk soon, did anybody try that already?