Silent Class Distribution

ROLAND_PUDER@HP-Germany-om14.om.hp.com
Wed, 2 Jul 97 14:48:30 +0200

From: ROLAND_PUDER@HP-Germany-om14.om.hp.com
Date: Wed, 2 Jul 97 14:48:30 +0200
Message-Id: <H000063d00ac9312@MHS>
Subject: Silent Class Distribution

Hello,

I wonder why people providing java-toolkits (like Netscape IFC,
Microsoft AFC, etc...) insist on downloading and installing the
classes and then setting some "CLASSPATH" environment variables, even
if I want to run demos hosted on their sites.

Is there a Java security issue forcing them to do so?

Doesn't that undermine the "Write once, run anywhere" statement? In a
heterogeneous IT-environment (PC/UNIX/MAC) you can forget that when
they need to install java-classes and environment variables
seperately.

It would be much more convenient (I think), to distribute necessary
class files silently the first time they are needed and store them in
some common directory on the client, dedicated to holding java
classes, so that they behave the same way like the core java api. One
could place an apology for the time needed to download the classes the
first time, assuring it will be much faster once the download is
complete.

Please, can somebody tell me whether the "silent approach" for
distributing foreign java classes is a security problem?

Another thing, I would be interested in (perhaps somebody can answer
that): Microsoft seems to have their own agenda concerning Java, they
seem to pollute the java technology with ms-windows-proprietary staff
like active-x and so on... :-(. Isn't there a way to prevent them from
doing so?

Thankyou,

Roland

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