[fedora-java] Proposal to deprecate _prefer_jre

[Jiri Vanek]

On 05/18/2015 02:12 PM, Mikolaj Izdebski wrote:
> On 05/18/2015 10:15 AM, Jiri Vanek wrote:
>> On 05/18/2015 08:29 AM, Aleksandar Kurtakov wrote:
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Mikolaj Izdebski" <mizdebsk at redhat.com>
>>>> To: "Fedora Java Development List" <java-devel at lists.fedoraproject.org>
>>>> Sent: Monday, 18 May, 2015 8:07:15 AM
>>>> Subject: [fedora-java] Proposal to deprecate _prefer_jre
>>>>
>>>> _prefer_jre is environmental variable, which once set to true causes
>>>> javapackages-tools to prefer JRE over JDK when choosing JVM to use.
>>>>
>>>> _prefer_jre was most useful in multi-JVM scenario. For example when
>>>> there was JDK 1.5 and JRE 1.7 installed, javapackages-tools would choose
>>>> JDK 1.5 by default. Setting _prefer_jre=true would allow more recent JRE
>>>> 1.7 to be used instead.
>>>>
>>>> Currently in Fedora there is only one Java implementation. Moreover,
>>>> with Java 9 distinction between JDK and JRE becomes less clear.
>>>> Therefore I propose to deprecate _prefer_jre environmental variable and
>>>> remove it in a future release of javapackages-tools, in a year or so.
>>>>
>>>> Any objections or comments?
>>>
>>> +1 . It's not widely used and is yet another reason for unpredictability.
>>>
>>>
>> I don't understand this effort.
>>
>> With https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1098508 in mind - why
>> to abandon it?
>> I'm not exactly  against  this proposal, but  I still have an feeling
>> that there is underlying issue in java packages or in jtools.
>>
>> The correct approach, if jre + sdk separation will be kept, should be:
>> only jre installed - use jre
>> sdk installed (jre installed as dependence) :
>>    - application requires jre - use jre
>>    - application rewires  devel, use jdk
>
> There is no harm in using full SDK even if the app would work fine with
But it is terribly strange, when one have set different jre and different sdk. And still 
applications will be using only chosen JDK. (usbted chosen JRE)

> just JRE. But I'm fine with keeping existing behaviour if there are any
> doubts about deprecating it.

I do  not wont to stay against this change if it was found unused or whatwer.
>
>> Now - jdk9 ... is different. Maybe something can be done better so
>> jtools nor java apps suffer by above logic.
>
> We can go furnther and avoid using alternatives at all and instead rely
> on config file /etc/java/java.conf for specifying default JVM to use.
> This could be considered after Java 9 is default in Fedora.

Hm. I think altrnatives are bit better then config file imho...

But yes - thats where I'm pointing to -  the alternatives,a s designed long ago, do not seem to fit 
current sate of Fedora. Maybe even separation of java supbackages is becoming useless.

So .. What can *openjdk* do better?

J.
>