[kaffe] trying to build ant with kaffe [Re: using ant to build kaffe - ant needs non-free java!]

[Dalibor Topic]

--- Grzegorz Prokopski <gadek at debian.org> wrote:
> Hi!
> 
> I think I am finished with it for now.
> No - it didn't work finally.
> 
> After I added to build.xml single line:
> <property name="build.compiler" value="jikes"/>
> I managed to get it further.
> 
> However after what I saw - no swing - no go.
>
> It seem however, that this is the "optional" stuff,
> that could be
> cut off the ant package, unfortunatelly some
> probably depend on that
> "optional" stuff and that would no longer be "that"
> ant package.

Ant tries to figure out on which platform it's
running: java 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 or 1.4 by trying to load
classes that were introduced in the API with that
releases. In kaffe's case, Ant mistakenly believes
that it's running on a full fledged java 1.2 platform,
and thus decides to compile the parts that use swing
(optional tasks for splash windows, and the like)..

you could use either the swing-1.1.1-fcs.jar from sun
(although I'm not sure about its license), or patch
ant  to check for another class that kaffe doesn't
implement (which I'd recommend, as it's a single line
patch).

Please take a look at 
jakarta-ant/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/util/JavaEnvUtils.java

If you want to stay with the tune to use classes from
java.lang, you can pick Character.Subset, I'd
recommend taking the offending javax.swing.JWindow,
for example.

> Don't know - maybe "freeant" package without some
> features - would
> make a sense? None of my java packages that use ant
> to compile - use
> any graphical ant interface.

Ant runs nicely on sun's jdk 1.1 without swing, so it
can be done. the problem is that kaffe is being
actively developed, and gets new features gradually.
;)
That's why I don't think freeant would be useful.

 > PS: I think there are other libs, that could be
> moved from contrib to
> main thanks to kaffe 1.0.7. I'll dig into that topic
> more once 1.0.7
> is in debian archive (my current quick&dirty package
> causes problems
> I won't be describing here, but it's a hedache to
> use it)

Please keep us updated as you go.

> PSS: What's the time you think we will have free
> implementation of
> swing? If that's a few months - new "freed" branches
> of packages
> don't make much sense. But if that's more than 1
> year issue - that
> could be considered I think (we could have more java
> in main for
> sarge).

Speaking of kaffe, I don't know. I am not aware of
anyone writing a swing implementation for kaffe, but I
know there is one in development for classpath. So
there are three options to get a free as in free
software swing in kaffe :
a) writing one
b) using the implementation from classpath
c) using classpath as a drop in replacement for
kaffe's own class libraries.

Every now and then someone asks for a or c. People
from kaffe and classpath agree in general that
providing an option to do c would be nice, but no
volunteer has been found. b might be the easiest
option. Feel free to investigate it and report what
you've found.

best regards,

dalibor topic

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