RANT: Why doesn't Sun keep their &^$& Java docs up to date?

[RaynorWolfcastle]

I was trying to install Sun's javax.comm package on a Win2k box the other day and ti was a huge pain in the ass.

A) Why the hell isn't it integrated in the satandard Java SDK? I really doubt the approx. 10 additional classes would be a huge problem

B)Why on God's green earth is Sun incl. installation instructions for Java 1.2.1 in the package when 1.4.2 is out? 1.4.2 has a completely different structure (as far as how it's installed) as 1.2.1, so their instructions are compltely useless. Furthermore, Sun does a terrible job of explaining, what to do to get it properly installed on Win2k, I had to scour the Net to get everything working.

Why can't Sun get tehir act together? :|

 

[manly]

A) I doubt too many people demand legacy serial I/O.

B) Care to explain what the problem is? I haven't read it in a while, but what's wrong with http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/install.html ? I actually just skimmed through the SDK for Windows installation documentation, and have no idea what you're complaining about.

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Originally posted by: manly
A) I doubt too many people demand legacy serial I/O.

B) Care to explain what the problem is? I haven't read it in a while, but what's wrong with http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/install.html ? I actually just skimmed through the SDK for Windows installation documentation, and have no idea what you're complaining about.

A) I'm sure that the less than 300 KB that javax.comm requires is a HUGE problem for developpers using the 80+ MB Netbeans IDE install 😉

B) I was referring to the javax.comm installation instructions. Sun's directions tell you to put some files in directories that don't exist in 1.4.2. Also, you have to put some of Sun's files in a bunch of directories (incl. system32) and hope that Windows and Java decide to play nice so that you can actually enumerate your ports. Either way, my point was that the instructions could at least be up to date.

 

[Kilrsat]

The answer is because Sun doesn't have an implementation for all platforms yet.

If it isn't completely cross-platform, then it isn't part of the standard java packages. Because the last thing you want to find out is that a class exists and works under windows but doesn't under linux.

Javacomm is an extension, not a core package, with no current plans to make it a core package.

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Originally posted by: Kilrsat
The answer is because Sun doesn't have an implementation for all platforms yet.

If it isn't completely cross-platform, then it isn't part of the standard java packages. Because the last thing you want to find out is that a class exists and works under windows but doesn't under linux.

Javacomm is an extension, not a core package, with no current plans to make it a core package.

Maybe they have no intention of making it a core package but they claim it is platform independent.

The Java Communications API can be used to write platform-independent communications applications for technologies such as voice mail, fax, and smartcards.

Link

 

[Kilrsat]

You were so close to the page you needed to be at:


"Q: Is there a linux version of the Java communications API?

A: We do not provide a linux implementation. "

"Q: I would like to port the Java communications API to my favorite platform.
Can you give me the source code to the reference implementations to help
me out?

A: Sun will not be releasing the source code to reference implementations.
Successful porting efforts are underway without the reference implementation
source code (see previous answer)."

Taken from: FAQ

Its platform independent as in, all platforms that have the lower level "drivers" written by sun that respond to the Javacomm calls act the exact same way. But these lower level "drivers" don't exist for all platforms. Javacomm isn't talking to the comm ports directly, its talking to the abstraction layer written by Sun.

 

[RaynorWolfcastle]

Originally posted by: Kilrsat
You were so close to the page you needed to be at:


"Q: Is there a linux version of the Java communications API?

A: We do not provide a linux implementation. "

"Q: I would like to port the Java communications API to my favorite platform.
Can you give me the source code to the reference implementations to help
me out?

A: Sun will not be releasing the source code to reference implementations.
Successful porting efforts are underway without the reference implementation
source code (see previous answer)."

Taken from: FAQ

Its platform independent as in, all platforms that have the lower level "drivers" written by sun that respond to the Javacomm calls act the exact same way. But these lower level "drivers" don't exist for all platforms. Javacomm isn't talking to the comm ports directly, its talking to the abstraction layer written by Sun.

Fine, so maybe it should remain an extension package, but that DOES NOT EXCUSE the obsolete installation instructions. Case in point, in their latest download their installation instructions start as follows:

Unzip the file javacomm20-win32.zip. This will produce a hierarchy with a top level directory commapi.
The examples in this document assume that you have unzipped the javacomm20-win32.zip file in your C: partition and your JDK installation is in C:\jdk1.1.6. If you have installed JDK in an other location or unzipped javacomm20-win32.zip in an other location modify the example commands appropriately.

All the instructions follow with the jdk1.1.6 hierarchy that is not the same as the 1.4.2 hierarchy.