Mystery # 2

Many thanks to the Mozilla fans who told me I need Java to view the
Personal World Clock. I have no axe to grind against Mozilla. On the
contrary, some good stiff competition with Microsoft would be a very
positive development. But if MS is willing to lay out some bread for the
right to use Java in their browser and Mozilla is unwilling or unable to do
so, doesn't this mean that Mozilla is doomed to remain a user-UNfriendly
system. Won't it remain just a curiosity and a plaything for computer nerds
forever ? For the average user, searching installing and checking out ANY
add-on or plug in or supplementary program does not seem to me to be in the
cards. But maybe I'm looking at this from the wrong perspective. Comments
please.
Bill.

 

Actually, Sun sued MS to force MS to stop distributing that non-
standard Java engine a couple of years back, so that Sun's Java
standard could be maintained.

Installing Sun's Java is the apropriate and standard way to handle
it.

--
George Bush's War of Choice on Iraq is a totally unnecessary war.
Every life lost, every limb lost, every disfigurement, every
disability caused there is more blood on George W. Bush's hands,
and on the hands of everyone who voted for George W. Bush.
The more you know, the less likely you were to vote for Bush.
<http://shorterlink.com/?47TBP8>
Feeling a draft? <http://shorterlink.com/?930B5U>
For the facts on Iraq, see <http://optruth.org>.

 

Bill,
In support of what I stated earlier and Tom said above, here's the
definitive word from that *other* Bill.
http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/java/
Check it out. May resolve your mystery.
Rob

 

Microsoft no longer distributes Java Runtime with their operating
systems due to the settlement of a lawsuit by Java's owner Sun Microsystems.

Simple reasons I can think of why Mozilla does not distribute the Sun
JRE (Java Runtime Environment):

- It is free for the download by end-users
- Including the JRE in Mozilla program download files would more than
double their size

As for the notion that finding and installing software is too onerous
for the average user, I don't think that's as widespread an issue as it
was, say, 3 years ago. I have many friends and family who fall into
that category and, while they might need to ask me to point them in the
right direction, they have no problem with this. Average users are
getting a lot more knowledgeable and adventurous these days.

 

Microsoft licensed Java from Sun Microsystems and then developed and
distributed their own, non-compliant Java virtual machine as part of
their attempt to subvert the "write once, run anywhere" Java philosophy
(Java programs written for MS's Java would only work on Windows; those
built using compliant Java implementations would run on any platform
supported by a Java virtual machine -- Windows, linux, OS/2, Mac,
whatever). Sun objected to this and sued Microsoft for violating the
terms of their license to use Java -- and the courts agreed with Sun.
Microsoft was forced to pay Sun for damages and remove the MS Java virtual
machine from future distributions of Windows.

Sun's official Java implementation is available for free download from
Sun's web site: http://java.sun.com/

Pick that up and you should be all set.

 

IIRC, the Netscape-7.x package includes the Java VM, which does make it
much larger than Mozilla.