[fedora-java] Re: FC5 release notes for java

[Chris Hubick]

On Tue, 2006-01-31 at 14:04 -0600, Weiqi Gao wrote:
> Has anyone noticed the implicit contradiction between "you should use
> the JDK from the JPackage repo" and "you should not use the JPackage
> repo"?

I tried to consistently use the specific terms "application software"
versus "runtime environment" to minimize this confusion.  An additional
explicit note might be a good idea:

"Please note that despite utilizing the JPackage installation
guidelines, several of the Java application software packages shipped
with Fedora have been slightly modified from those provided by JPackage,
in order to work out of the box with the included compiler and runtime
environment.  Additionally, the Fedora packages also include
pre-compiled fast and optimized native binary code alongside the
original Java bytecode JAR files.  As a result, if you modify your Yum
configuration and update to application software packages shipped
directly through the JPackage Yum repository, you will end up with an
unpredictable mix of bytecode and binary software.  So although Fedora
recommends the use of JPackage for installing alternate Java Runtime
Environments, JPackage is not necessarily recommended for the Java
application software packages which use that runtime.  Users wishing to
maintain a supported software platform, by using the Free Java Runtime
Environment shipped with Fedora, are advised to only update their
systems with Java application software packages provided through the
Fedora and Fedora Extras Yum repositories, and not directly through
JPackage unless they also plan to switch to one of their
alternate/proprietary Java runtimes.  The Fedora provided application
software packages should continue to work with other Java Runtime
Environments which follow JPackage guidelines, but as stated above,
there is a good chance unmodified JPackage applications will not work
with the default Runtime Environment shipped with Fedora."

-- 
Chris Hubick
mailto:chris at hubick.com
http://www.hubick.com/