My Dimension 8300 came with Java Plug-in 1.4.2 and it works fine. Now I've learned that Sun is offering a download of the new 1.5 (known externally as 5.0).
1. Is it a good idea to download directly from Sun? (Is there any chance that Microsoft will make it available via Windows Update--I would prefer that)
2. Should I expect an "easy" download--or are there potential problems?
3. Finally, is it wise to go ahead with this upgrade?
Yes, I even had TWO java versions!!! (Of Sun Java!!, I keep MS java so that Homestead's site builder will work) I uninstalled them both, rebooted, then installed 1.5.
No problem. But you may want to set a system restore point before uninstalling the old, and reinstalling the newer version.
You are certainly right about the need for 1.4.2_06. When requesting the 1.5 download (with my current 1.4.2), I got an error message saying that it would not download unless I first
upgraded to 1.4.2_06. So I downloaded 1.4.2_06 with no problems. Now I have both Java programs listed separately in my Add or Remove Programs.
I will go ahead and download 1.5 in the near future.
Unless you are into developing java applets or such, you just need Runtime Environment (JRE)
Quotes from Sun web pages:
'Java 2 Platform Standard Edition (J2SE) software is the premier platform for rapidly developing and deploying secure, portable applications that run on server and desktop systems spanning most operating systems. J2SE 5.0 is a significant release including many new features and updates while preserving compatibility and stability.'
moose4
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Posted January 22nd, 2005 00:00