Apple vanishes Java from Mac OS X Lion
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Apple has removed the Java runtime from its upcoming Mac OS X Lion, according to a report based on firsthand experience with a preview release of the OS.
Appleinsider reports that the latest developer release of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion removes both Java and Rosetta, the package used to run PowerPC code on Intel-based Macs. But according to the fanboi news site, Lion includes a mechanism for automatically downloading the latest version of Java for the Mac.
In late October, Apple caused a fair amount of unrest among Java developers when, in the release notes of a Java update, it said that Java on Mac had been "deprecated" and that it "may be removed from future versions of Mac OS." Now, it has been removed, but the future of Java development on Macs is secure. In November, Apple and Oracle announced that they would collaborate on a Mac-based incarnation of OpenJDK, an open source version of Java.
Apple said it would contribute "most of the key components, tools and technology" needed for a Java SE 7 implementation on Mac OS X, including a 32-bit and 64-bit HotSpot-based Java virtual machine, class libraries, a networking stack, and base code for a new graphical client.
The average Joe isn't likely to miss Java on Lion. Few consumer desktop applications use the technology. But many business apps still use it, and of course, Java developers need the runtime on their machines. According to Appleinsider, if you try to run a Java app on Lion, the OS will look for the latest version of the runtime and download it – with the user's approval.
Rosetta was also previously deprecated by Apple, and the company barred applications using both Rosetta and Java from the new Mac App Store. With Snow Leopard, the current version of Mac OS X, Rosetta is not installed by default, but users could install it if they chose to. Now it has been completely removed. ®
COMMENTS
Really?
Since the main aim of Java was to provide a write-once, run-anywhere platform-agnostic development target, it reduced the power of vendor lock-in. When Java debuted, Apple had a tiny market share, so why would they feel threatened by a technology that would reduce lock-in to their rivals' operating systems?
Apple had to develop their own JVM because no-one else would - in other words, Apple wanted Java on their platform. However, they are now in a position where they can rely on both Oracle and the wider Java community to develop the JVM, and provide a better experience for end-users (e.g., more timely security updates).
Re: Java threatened Apple too
I beg to disagree with you here. :->Java on a Mac did not die from lack of merit.
IMHO Apple were justified in removing it from the OS install because the version they shipped was always a few key releases behind what you could D/L from Sun/Oracle.
They got hammered in the press for this.
Devs like me didn't care. We just downloaded the version we needed for our work and got on with said work regardless.
When I first start work on a new system almost the first thing I do is to check the version of java that is installed as the system default.
This is true for Windoze and Linux. Neither of which install java OOTB (well you can on some versions of Linux in a non standard install) on a simple installation.
When Apple announced this I failed to understand the gnashing of teeth from certain quarters.
To me this is a non event.
Paris because she sheds tears when anything gets removed.
silly wabbit.
Java is alive and well on the business side of computing. I use it frequently at work. Many VPN clients use it, and so do several VOIP applications. It would be suicidal for Apple to cut support for Java entirely. The real money comes from the business side. A lot of major companies won't think twice about paying high prices for technology, unlike the average consumer.
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