Why does JCE require the JDK 1.2?

Brian Blevins (brian@maxtech.com)
Mon, 16 Mar 1998 17:38:46 -0500

Date: Mon, 16 Mar 1998 17:38:46 -0500
From: Brian Blevins <brian@maxtech.com>
To: java-security@web4.javasoft.com
Subject: Why does JCE require the JDK 1.2?

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Sun-Java-Security Team,

I have a real problem with the JCE requiring the JDK 1.2!

JavaTM Cryptography Extension
Early Access

JCE 1.1, which never went beyond an early access
release, is no longer
supported.

It has been replaced by JCE 1.2.

JCE 1.2 supplements JDK 1.2, and requires that you have
JDK 1.2 installed.

It will be over a year from now before ISVs can safely build products
that
require the availabilty of the JDK 1.2. The browser vendors are simply
moving too slowly. The JCE is mosted need in the adhoc world of the
Internet.
This is precisely the world where it is impossible to know in advance
which
browser or what version of the browser is running when they come to a
web
site.

Why can't the JCE run on the JDK 1.1? What is the point of us
developing
software using a library that will only run on 0.01% of the browsers.
Today,
the only safe bet is that the JDK 1.0 is supported. I'm willing to
develop for
the JDK 1.1 because it's day is coming. I'm not willing to develop for
the
JDK 1.2 yet because I'll be broke before those browsers make it into the

market in any real numbers.

What the Java world needs most is universal support for a stable
platform.
I would recommend that you make that the JDK 1.1 platform. Pack as much

as possible into the JDK 1.1 because the ISVs are going to be living
with it
for quite a while yet.

The Java Activator is supposedly only for Intranet use. I presume this
has to
do with the large bandwidth and/or disk space requirements for
downloading
the later/better JavaVM.

Please give this some thought and release a version of the JCE that can
run
on JDK 1.1 platforms.

Brian
brian@maxtech.com

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