Java 1.4 and Windows compatibility

marc.at...@gmail.com

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Aug 20, 2014, 8:22:35 AM8/20/14

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Hello,

Maybe this is an obvious question but I'm not very Java savvy so bear with me.
I have a Java application using Java RE 1.4.2_05 and I need to migrate it to Windows server 2012. I want to keep using the JRE it's designed for so I will not have to bother with incompatibilities between JRE versions.
I can download this Java Runtime Environment version 1.4.2 from Oracle but I am not sure if the JRE 1.4.2 will run on Windows 2012... Can anyone confirm this?
Could there be any other reason why an application would not run in JRE 1.4.2 on Windows 2012?

Thanks,

Marc

Eric Sosman

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Aug 20, 2014, 8:42:08 AM8/20/14

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Let's look at the timeline (all dates from Wikipedia):

1) 2002 Feb: Java 1.4 is released.

2) 2008 Oct: Java 1.4 support ends.

3) 2011 Sep: Windows Server 2012 first developer preview.

4) 2012 Aug: Windows Server 2012 official release.

In other words, you're asking whether there might be any problem
running a Java version that became unsupported four years before the
initial release of the O/S you want to run it on.

Aww, gee, what could *possibly* go wrong?

--
eso...@comcast-dot-net.invalid

Arne Vajhøj

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Aug 20, 2014, 8:48:06 AM8/20/14

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On 8/20/2014 8:22 AM, marc.at...@gmail.com wrote:

I am 99.9% sure that it will run and 95% sure that the installer
will work (but Java can actually be XCOPY'ed so that may not be a
show stopper).

Windows typically run even very old applications without problems.

But I assume that you will actually test it before putting in in
production.

And you are aware that 1.4.2 is 32 bit and 2012 is only available
in 64 bit (but runs 32 bit code fine).

But another point: do you have a long term strategy on what you want to
do with this application. Even if you can use a new Windows version and
an 11 year old Java, then it seems like something in need of a more
permanent solution.

If it is a Java EE app server, then you would probably have to upgrade
all of Java, app server and your code.

But if it is a Java SE application then porting it to a new Java
version should not be that difficult/expensive.

Arne

Marcel Mueller

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Aug 20, 2014, 2:34:17 PM8/20/14

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On 20.08.14 14.22, marc.at...@gmail.com wrote:
> Maybe this is an obvious question but I'm not very Java savvy so bear with me.
> I have a Java application using Java RE 1.4.2_05 and I need to migrate it to Windows server 2012. I want to keep using the JRE it's designed for so I will not have to bother with incompatibilities between JRE versions.
> I can download this Java Runtime Environment version 1.4.2 from Oracle but I am not sure if the JRE 1.4.2 will run on Windows 2012... Can anyone confirm this?

I don't know whether it runs on 2012 server but we had no problems with
Java 1.4.2 on 2008 R2 server. We were stuck with 1.4.2 because 1.5
slightly changed the xml serialization causing remote function call to
SAP to crash on the server side.
AFAIK 2012 Server is quite similar with respect to x86 apps. But of
course, you have to test it.

Marcel

Josip Almasi

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Aug 21, 2014, 10:33:29 AM8/21/14

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On 08/20/2014 02:22 PM, marc.at...@gmail.com wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Maybe this is an obvious question but I'm not very Java savvy so bear with me.
> I have a Java application using Java RE 1.4.2_05

LOL
I bet I know why:>

These are comments from my 9 yrs old ClassLoader.loadClass():

// 1.4.2_05 does not accept / as separator!
// < 1.4.2_04 requires / as a separator!

That was an unpleasant surprise; classes cannot be named as a.b.class,
but have to be a/b/class.

Made me remember that particular subsubversion quite well:>

Worry not, the code will run on newer java versions.

... err, provided it's not a swing app. There's good chance for various
troubles with GUI apps on java 1.6 and newer.
Troubles, like cannot close window by clicking on X.

Regards...

Arne Vajhøj

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Aug 21, 2014, 5:22:58 PM8/21/14

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On 8/21/2014 10:33 AM, Josip Almasi wrote:
> ... err, provided it's not a swing app. There's good chance for various
> troubles with GUI apps on java 1.6 and newer.
> Troubles, like cannot close window by clicking on X.

What code sees that problem?

Arne

Josip Almasi

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Aug 21, 2014, 6:36:34 PM8/21/14

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I don't own it, and I don't remember exactly.
But it was some workarounds for swing bugs in 1.5, IIRC bugs specific to
swing bindings to gnome, in dialog boxes.
Suddenly, 1.6 started working as specified, but app started misbehaving:)

Regards...

Arne Vajhøj

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Aug 21, 2014, 6:52:37 PM8/21/14

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Does not sound like something that will cause OP problem (Windows).

Arne

Josip Almasi

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Aug 23, 2014, 6:30:01 AM8/23/14

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Unless developer used linux for development, like I did:)
Anyway, there's just one of many such cases.

Regards...