Sun Java Sucks (at least on 64 bit linux)

2008 Oct 24 at 23:59 » Tagged as :weird, python,

Several years ago when 64 bit java came out the sun java plugin for linux wasn't available. By the time I bought a 64 bit processor for my file server early this year, they ought to have fixed it but they haven't. No wonder sun is in decline. I had a lot of trouble with activating the java plug in on it and in the end installed the 32 bit version of firefox on it. So much water has passed under the bridge since then but the 64 bit sun java plug in is not yet available.

There are other java plugins (Blackdown and IcedTea) that can be installed on 64 bit linux distros but unfortunately both of them cannot execute signed applets at the moment - so as far as I am concerned they might as well not exist. Then there is nspluginwrapper - that works with most 32bit plugins, making it possible to use them with the 64 bit firefox. However there is one plugin that doesn't work with nspluginwrapper. No prices for guessing what that one plugin is - its' sun java.