> I have Mandrake 7 installed. I could not find the Java rpms. So do they exist
> for Mandrake? If not, where to get them from and what do I need in order to run
> Java Apps. e.g. Java ICQ?
On one of the non-free-software CDs there's the IBM JDK 1.1.8 (and I think
a JRE as well), however to run most recent apps you will need a runtime
environment that supports Java2, that is a version >= 1.2.2. You can get
one either at http://java.sun.com or http://www.blackdown.org, and IBM also
has one for free download, but I don't remember the exact URL right now.
If you really, really don't want to download one yourself, you can of course
try and cheat a bit - many recent Java apps are plain old Java which makes
use of the Swing classes, which are distributed with NetBeans, which in
turn is distributed with Mandrake Power Pack, but trust me, downloading
a new version is faster even with a 56k connection like mine ...
I'm using the RPM of the JDK 1.2.2 from Sun here, and that works for sure,
however I hear very good things about the performance of IBMs JDK 1.3,
so you might consider that as well.
However I wouldn't use Java ICQ unless somebody threatens me with
physical violence :) GnomeICU works a treat, as does LICQ, and
with some limitations (still beta, afaik) kxicq.
cya,
Volker
