Java and HotJava FAQ

This collection of frequently asked questions (FAQ) provides brief answers
to many common questions about Sun's Java(tm) Programming Language and Sun's
HotJava(tm) World-Wide Web Browser. It also provides pointers to fuller
information available from our web site, http://java.sun.com/. Please check
here for answers before posting a question to one of the Java-related
newsgroups or before sending email to java@java.sun.com. The information
below is also sent out in an autoreply message the first time you send email
to java@java.sun.com.

A. Getting started with Java/HotJava:
availability, latest releases, ports, downloading, installing, JavaScript

B. Getting information and staying in touch:
the Java name, documentation of all sorts, newsgroups, mailing lists, Java
courses, bug reports

C. Java-enabled Netscape:
which versions, alpha/beta applets, applet not initialized

D. Marketing, licensing, and planning:
licensing, logos, plans

E. Troubleshooting:
error messages, firewalls, environment variables, overloaded server

We try to make as much information as possible available through our web
site, http://java.sun.com/, and through mirror sites (see
http://java.sun.com/mirrors.html for details). If you have trouble finding
the information you need there, please let us know.

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A. Getting started with Java/HotJava:

A1. What releases are currently available? What do they contain?
A2. What platforms is the 1.0 Beta JDK available on?
A3. What platforms is 1.0 Alpha 3 Java/HotJava available on?
A4. What about a version for my favorite platform XYZ? When can I get it?
A5. How do I download Java, HotJava, and/or JDK? How do I install it?
A6. How can I get started with programming in Java?
A7. Do I need special server software to use applets?
A8. Is JavaScript available? How do I find out more about it?

A1. What releases are currently available? What do they contain?

Java and HotJava are in transition from alpha to beta. The two versions are
incompatible, and you should always work with the latest version that's
available for your platform.

The 1.0 Beta release of the Java Developers Kit (JDK) contains

   * Java Applet Upgrade Utility
   * Java Applet Viewer
   * Java Debugger API and Prototype Debugger
   * Java Compiler
   * Java Interpreter

The 1.0 Alpha 3 release of Java and HotJava contains

   * Java Compiler
   * Java Interpreter
   * HotJava browser

Note also the following compatibility restrictions:

   * Java-enabled browsers, such as Netscape, require beta (JDK) applets.
   * 1.0 Alpha 3 HotJava requires alpha applets.

A2. What platforms is the 1.0 Beta JDK available on?

The JDK is available on Windows NT/95 (Intel x86) and on SPARC Solaris (2.3
or higher). For details, see:

    http://java.sun.com/JDK-beta2/

A3. What platforms is 1.0 Alpha 3 Java/HotJava available on?

Alpha 3 Java/Hotjava is available on Windows NT/95 (Intel x86) and on SPARC
Solaris (2.3 or higher). For details, see:

    http://java.sun.com/installation-alpha3-win32-x86.html
    http://java.sun.com/installation-alpha3-solaris2-sparc.html

A4. What about a version for my favorite platform XYZ? When can I get it?

These are extremely popular questions, and important ones. What we can
currently say is:

    Macintosh (MacOS 7.5):  1.0 FCS targeted for early 96

    Amiga, Linux, NeXT, OS/2, Windows 3.1, Windows 32s, ...:
      We've provided our Solaris source code to make third-party
      ports like these possible, but we are not officially
      overseeing or tracking them.  For more information, you can
      check out platform-specific mailing lists:
      http://java.sun.com/Mail/external_lists.html.

When we further have dates that we can announce, we'll post them on our web
site.

A5. How do I download Java, HotJava, and/or JDK? How do I install it?

You can get our releases either with a World-Wide Web (WWW) browser or by
anonymous ftp. For details, including installation instructions, visit the
URLs indicated in questions <A2> and <A3>. If you use ftp, remember to set
binary mode and check that you got the full file (compare its size to that
mentioned in the installation page).

A6. How can I get started with programming in Java?

We've put together a guide for using materials on our web site to get you
started learning Java; see

    http://java.sun.com/starter.html

A7. Do I need special server software to use applets?

No. Java applets may be served by any HTTP server. On the server side they
are handled the same as any other file, such as a text, image, or sound
file. All the special action happens when the applet class files are
interpreted on the client side by a Java-enabled browser, such as HotJava or
Netscape 2.0.

A8. Is JavaScript available? How do I find out more about it?

The initial version of JavaScript is available in current beta releases of
Netscape Navigator 2.0. For more information, including a pointer to the
full press release, see our What's New page:

    http://java.sun.com/new.html

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B. Getting information and staying in touch:

B1. Where did the Java name come from? What does it stand for?
B2. Can the Java team keep me informed of latest developments?
B3. What newsgroups carry information about Java and HotJava?
B4. What mailing lists are available? How do I subscribe/unsubscribe?
B5. What documentation is available? In what formats? How can I get it?
B6. Can you send me information by regular mail or by email?
B7. Why do the mailing list archives stop at August 20th?
B8. Can I be a alpha/beta/xxx tester?
B9. Are Java programming courses available? Where? At what price?
B10. How do I file bug reports or feature suggestions?

B1. Where did the Java name come from? What does it stand for?

The name was chosen during one of several brainstorming sessions held by the
Java team. We were aiming to come up with a name that evoked the essence of
the technology -- liveliness, animation, speed, interactivity, and more.
"Java" was chosen from among many, many suggestions. The name is not an
acronym, but rather a reminder of that hot, aromatic stuff that many
programmers like to drink lots of.

B2. Can the Java team keep me informed of latest developments?

We no longer keep a list of people to inform; when we started that, we never
expected that so many people would be writing to us every day! If you'd like
to keep informed, the best way is to visit our web site

     http://java.sun.com/

periodically and participate in the Java-related newsgroups. Note in
particular that our What's New page

    http://java.sun.com/new.html

provides an overview of the most recent developments, press releases, and so
on concerning Java and HotJava.

B3. What newsgroups carry information about Java and HotJava?

Two newsgroups are currently available:

   * comp.lang.java: about the Java language and programming
   * alt.www.hotjava: about the HotJava World-Wide Web browser

Note that not all news servers carry alt.* newsgroups, but the
comp.lang.java should be available pretty much everywhere.

B4. What mailing lists are available? How do I subscribe/unsubscribe?

Information about our mailing lists is available at

    http://java.sun.com/mail.html

Note that these lists are now obsolete -- they have served their main
purpose of fostering communication about Java and HotJava until newsgroups
were available to carry the load. We request your cooperation in using them
only as a last resort. This will help reduce the load on java.sun.com, and
will improve service for everyone. All mailing list mail will be gated to
the newsgroups, so you won't miss anything.

B5. What documentation is available? In what formats? How can I get it?

We provide a wide range of documentation (white papers, API specifications,
programmer's guide, and more), reachable from our documentation page:

    http://java.sun.com/doc.html

Most of our documents are available in both HTML and PostScript formats.

B6. Can you send me information by regular mail or by email?

Sorry, but we're only set up to distribute information through our web site
(http://java.sun.com/) and ftp site (java.sun.com). We want to get as much
information out and available as possible, but we can only handle the volume
via these customer-initiated mechanisms.

B7. Why do the mailing list archives stop at August 20th?

Unfortunately, we've had to stop updating our mailing list archives, as we
wrestle with the ever-increasing load on our java.sun.com server. Note that
only archiving was stopped, not the mailing lists themselves.

B8. Can I be a alpha/beta/xxx tester?

Yes, that's essentially what you're doing when you use our current release
software and send in bug reports. We generally don't have separate formal
programs for early-release testing.

B9. Are Java programming courses available? Where? At what price?

SunService will be providing Java Programming courses at sites across the
U.S; see

    http://www.sun.com/sunservice/wh/10-17-95-press-1.html

B10. How do I file bug reports or feature suggestions?

It's best if you use the "Submit a Bug Report" feature in HotJava's Help
menu, or go directly to our bug report page:

    http://java.sun.com/GettingInTouch/BugReport.html

(Be sure to scroll the window to see all the report fields.) This helps us
process bug reports and feature suggestions more thoroughly and
systematically. If you experience trouble sending mail from HotJava, see the
Troubleshooting section below for a likely fix.

If you need to send a bug report by plain email, you can send it to

    java-bugs@java.sun.com

Please include the same kinds of information as on the bug report form:
version, platform, code snippet (Java, html, or both), exact error message,
supplementary error information (e.g., stack dump or weblog), and
reproducibility of the bug. Keep in mind that we need to be able to recreate
bugs in order to find and fix them.

We will not be able to acknowledge each report individually. Please accept
our gratitude in advance -- your feedback is crucial to our work.

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C. Java-enabled Netscape:

C1. Can all Netscape 2.0 versions run Java applets?
C2. Can Java-enabled Netscape run alpha and beta Java applets?
C3. Can you help me with using Java in Netscape?
C4. Error: "applet not initialized"

C1. Can all Netscape 2.0 versions run Java applets?

Recent betas of Netscape 2.0 support Java applets on many but not all
platforms. See the release notes for your platform at

    http://home.netscape.com/eng/mozilla/2.0/relnotes/

C2. Can Java-enabled Netscape run alpha and beta Java applets?

Java-enabled versions of Netscape 2.0 will only run beta applets, which can
be written with the beta Java Developers Kit (JDK). Be aware that there are
many web pages with alpha applets, which Netscape 2.0 will not handle. You
can distinguish between alpha and beta applets by looking at the html source
for a page: alpha applets use the <app> tag, whereas beta applets use the
<applet> tag.

C3. Can you help me with using Java in Netscape?

For questions that specifically concern installation, troubleshooting,
feature availability, and how to do XYZ with applets in the Netscape
browser, it's best to ask Netscape directly. For instance, to report
Netscape bugs, you can use

    http://home.mcom.com/assist/support/client/

C4. Error: "applet not initialized"

Viewing applets via file: URLs is not currently supported in Netscape. The
workaround is to use http: URLs instead.

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D. Marketing, licensing, and planning:

D1. Is Java/HotJava free? Where can I get information on licensing?
D2. Can I use the HotJava logo?
D3. What are your plans for XXX functionality? Why haven't you done YYY?
D4. Can you comment on company ZZZ's plans for licensing and using
Java/HotJava?
D5. How can I invest in Java on the stock market?

D1. Is Java/HotJava free? Where can I get information on licensing?

We have guidelines on our web site for using and/or licensing Java and
HotJava technology; see

    http://java.sun.com/licensing.html

If you have further commercial or licensing questions, you can send them to

    licensing@java.sun.com

Note that any licensing questions sent to java@java.sun.com will be
forwarded to the licensing address.

D2. Can I use the HotJava logo?

Please see

    http://java.sun.com/tm_guidelines.html

D3. What are your plans for XXX functionality? Why haven't you done YYY?

We welcome all input regarding Java and HotJava -- we will read and consider
it. We're keeping many more options in mind than appear in our current
releases. However, because we are focusing on moving towards our 1.0
release, we have time to answer only a small portion of such questions.

D4. Can you comment on company ZZZ's plans for licensing and using
Java/HotJava?

No, we need to let other companies speak for themselves. We can only refer
you to official press releases. For pointers to recent press releases, see
our What's New page:

    http://java.sun.com/new.html

D5. How can I invest in Java on the stock market?

Java technology is a product of Sun Microsystems, Inc., which is traded on
NASDAQ under the symbol SUNW.

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E. Troubleshooting:

E1. Error: net.SocketException: errno = 10047 (Windows NT/95)
E2. Error: hotjava-alpha3-win32-x86 is not a valid Windows NT application.
E3. Error: This program does not run in MS-DOS mode.
E4. Error: Failed to get: XXX Reason is: net.SocketException: connect
E5. The tar/zip/xxx file I got from your server seems corrupted -- is it?
E6. Is my firewall preventing HotJava from making connections?
E7. Why doesn't mail or netnews from HotJava work? (Windows NT/95)
E8. Why do http and ftp requests to java.sun.com sometimes fail?
E9. Will Java/HotJava work with DOS file size limitations (8.3)?
E10. I'm having trouble loading applets -- what settings can I change?
E11. Why are some menu entries in HotJava grayed out (and unusable)?
E12. javac: Superclass java.applet.Applet of class HelloWorld not found.
E13. 404 Not Found -- The requested URL /cgi-bin/src-form.sh was not ...
E14. How do I stop the copyright notice from appearing every time I start
the Windows NT/95 version of appletviewer?

E1. Error: net.SocketException: errno = 10047 (Windows NT/95)

Error number 10047 usually means you are using unsupported TCP/IP drivers.
HotJava only supports the Microsoft TCP/IP drivers included with Windows 95.
If you are using third-party drivers (e.g., Trumpet Winsock or PC NFS),
you'll need to change over to the native 32-bit Microsoft TCP/IP drivers.

E2. Error: hotjava-alpha3-win32-x86 is not a valid Windows NT application.

There's a good chance you downloaded the binary file in ASCII mode, which
will corrupt it. Check the size of your file against the size shown in the
installation page or in the ftp directory listing. (To check the size using
ftp: use ftp to connect to java.sun.com, log in as user "anonymous", cd to
the docs directory, and then use the "dir" command to get a full listing of
the directory, complete with file sizes.) If the sizes don't match --
especially if yours is bigger than it should be -- that's a sure sign that
you need to download a fresh copy (in binary mode).

E3. Error: This program does not run in MS-DOS mode.

See <E2> above.

E4. Error: Failed to get: XXX Reason is: net.SocketException: connect

One fairly common cause of this error message is setting your firewall proxy
to a raw (numerical) IP address rather than a domain name address. The alpha
3 HotJava release only handles domain name addresses.

E5. The tar/zip/xxx file I got from your server seems corrupted -- is it?

See <E2> above.

E6. Is my firewall preventing HotJava from making connections?

It could be, especially if you haven't configured your proxy servers. Bring
up the Options menu, select the Properties dialog, and fill in the hostname
and port for the Firewall Proxy. (For Netscape users, these values should be
the same as your HTTP proxy in Netscape.)

Another possibility is that you're going through a SOCKS firewall. If that's
the case, HotJava's not going to work -- it doesn't implement that protocol
yet.

E7. Why doesn't mail or netnews from HotJava work? (Windows NT/95)

This problem is usually fixed by setting the relevant environment variables
at the MS-DOS prompt. Type

    set mailhost=<your-mailhost-name>
    set nntpserver=<your-server-name>

at the MS-DOS prompt and then start HotJava in that same DOS box. Having to
use environment variables like this is clumsy and will be replaced in future
versions.

E8. Why do http and ftp requests to java.sun.com sometimes fail?

Due to increasing demand for Java/HotJava, our java.sun.com server is often
overloaded and can turn away requests or stop them partway. When you run
into this, you can try again later, or you can try one of our mirror sites;
see

    http://java.sun.com/mirrors.html

But if our java.sun.com server is so busy that you can't even get the mirror
page, here are a couple of the sites listed there:

    Blackdown Organization:
      http://www.blackdown.org/Java
      ftp:  www.blackdown.org  in the /pub/Java directory

    Dimension X (USA)
      http://java.dnx.com/
      ftp:  java.dnx.com

E9. Will Java/HotJava work with DOS file size limitations (8.3)?

No, they rely on many files with longer names than the old DOS limits. Even
if your drive allows long file names, be careful not to unzip your release
package with WinZip, since this will truncate the file names to the old 8.3
DOS limits. Instead, extract the files from a DOS window, without WinZip,
and make sure that the resulting files have their full (long) names.

E10. I'm having trouble loading applets -- what settings can I change?

Look inside your access_mode file (in your .hotjava directory). If the first
two lines are like:

    ACCESS_SOURCE (or ACCESS_FIREWALL)
    true

then your security settings are preventing HotJava from loading applets from
anywhere other than your own file system (or inside your firewall). The
minimal change that should allow you to load external applets is to turn off
the

    "Apply security mode to applet loading"

switch. You can set this by pulling up the Security dialog in the Options
menu. After you apply this change, the second line of your access_mode file
should read "false".

For further information on security options, click on the help button in the
HotJava Security Dialog, or go directly to

    http://java.sun.com/1.0alpha3/doc/SecurityDialogHelp.html

E11. Why are some menu entries in HotJava grayed out (and unusable)?

These menu items are placeholders for functions to be placed in future
versions of HotJava. There are no switches for turning them on or off; they
are simply not available in the current release.

E12. javac: Superclass java.applet.Applet of class HelloWorld not found.

The examples in the programmer's guide have been updated to conform to the
new applet API in our 1.0 Beta Java Developers Kit (JDK). "Superclass not
found" error messages are typical if you try to compile beta code with an
alpha version of javac. The recommended fix is to download a copy of the
JDK, and do all further development with that.

Another potential source of this error message is incorrect capitalization
on either the file name or the class name in in the file. The Java system is
case-sensitive, so a HelloWorld class is different from a helloWorld class,
and so on.

E13. 404 Not Found -- The requested URL /cgi-bin/src-form.sh was not ...

Several mirror sites are not set up to handle source code forms, and this is
the typical error message in that case. If you try the source code form at
our primary Java web site here at Sun, it should work:

    http://java.sun.com/source_form.html

If not even that works, the problem might be with a local HTTP proxy (one
person has reported finding the trouble there).

E14. How do I stop the copyright notice from appearing every time I start
the Windows NT/95 version of appletviewer?

The appletviewer looks for a .hotjava directory inside your home directory
to determine whether you are starting it for the first time. If the
directory is not found, the appletviewer will pop up the copyright notice.
The workaround is to manually create the .hotjava directory in your home
directory. The following paragraphs explain how to do this.

The appletviewer is written to recognize three MS-DOS environment variables
for the location of a user home directory: it uses either HOME or the
combination of HOMEDRIVE and HOMEPATH. Under Windows NT3.51, the HOMEDRIVE
and HOMEPATH environment variables are set automatically. Under Windows 95,
you will need to set the HOME environment variable to point to an existing
directory.

Once your home directory is set, all you need to do for Windows NT3.51 is to
create the .hotjava directory inside of it:

        mkdir %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%\.hotjava

In Windows 95, the easiest method is to edit the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, adding
the following line:

        set HOME=C:\

Then save the file and reboot, so that the change to take effect. Once your
computer has rebooted, open a DOS window and execute the following command:

mkdir %HOME%.hotjava

Copyright  1995 Sun Microsystems, Inc., 2550 Garcia Ave., Mtn. View, CA
94043-1100 USA. All rights reserved. For Java technical support, see the
newsgroup comp.lang.java or send mail to java@java.sun.com. For problems
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