Java Portablizer

[Hank7]

With John Haller's Java Portablizer out for a few weeks now I expected the forums both here at TPFC and over at portableapps.com to burst with related topics.

But it's been relatively quiet until now, maybe because of the holiday season, maybe because Java Portablizer wasn't really announced on the PortableApps home page.

You can find it here: http://portableapps.com/support/openoff ... table#java

I'm using it with TV Browser transportable and it works fine.

Admitted, Java is still a 70MB heavyweight, but having it with you opens the possibilities of some great applications.

So, I wonder, will the release of Java Portablizer change things here at TPFC? I wouldn't mind if the no-java-policy was dropped.

BTW, I use these PStart settings to launch TV Browser:

Application / file path: PortableApps\CommonFiles\Java\bin\javaw.exe
Command line parameters: -jar tvbrowser.jar
Home directory: PortableApps\tvbrowser-transportable

You could also achieve that with a *.bat file, the whereabout of your apps or javaw.exe are not important, just make sure you specify the directory where your app (*.jar) is located as javaw.exe's working directory.

Sadly, I couldn't get RK Launcher to start Java from the app's directory. RKL seems not to work with two relative paths.

[Andrew Lee]

So, I wonder, will the release of Java Portablizer change things here at TPFC? I wouldn't mind if the no-java-policy was dropped.

As things stand, nah.

For me, Java's portability wasn't a problem actually, it was the lousy performance and resource overhead. I have mentioned it many times in this forum already.

It is actually rather easy to run Java apps off a private copy of the JRE. Just copy the whole JRE folder over, then modify the batch file launcher. Works all the time.

[Hank7]

For me, Java's portability wasn't a problem actually, it was the lousy performance and resource overhead. I have mentioned it many times in this forum already.

Yep, I've read all 43 postings containing the word "Java" plus the FAQ before I decided to post that topic. The main argument was that Java isn't available on all machines (not true in this situation), and also that it would be a bad idea to bundle Java with every single app (also, not the case with a central Java installation), as well as an interesting discussion why Java might be slow.

Thanks for clearing things up.

[Devils Advocate]

I'm not a developer of portable freeware or a programmer of any form. I am merely an end user. I can see that Java may not be a perfect solution but then again there are few perfect solutions. However, I think that a central portablised Java supporting a whole range of freeware can only be good for the end user in terms of available suitable software.

Its only a view (not popular by the looks of it), but shouldn't be completely ignored. Some major software companies & their software aren't popular on these forums for being bloatware etc but I bet most people use their software & packages because it's convenient to the end user.

Living up to my name - is this site 'Portable Freeware' or 'Portable Freeware that is liked by some but I dont like one because.....'?

It's just a thought to be considered. What is being achieved by not including Java programs ?

However. Hopefully I don't cause too many waves with these views...but heck, its up there to be shot down.

Love the site by the way. I've been a silent user & observer for some time now.
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