Java Launcher Comments

[Concoidal]

I agree with Xanthia - and add - that any change should be transparent to the players, be self installing, and redundantly tested. Oh - and it should be an improvement, not just a convenient replacement.

[Vahrokh]

I am strongly against the use of Java. While dot Net has its fair amounts of issues, Java can lead to terminally nasty issues. If you just launch a Java app every now and then, it tends to work, but expecially on self-upgrading installations it's prone to cache manager issues, some of its facilties (ie links management) work only on some computers and on some kinds of accounts.

Plus, Microsoft dumped it long ago - not a problem till Sun Microsystems was in charge. But now the product has been acquired by a Microsoft competitor, known for aggressive "take and dump" campaings and whose first concern has been to rebrand it and distribute a new version.

Of course on my dedicated (ie it exists just for that, nothing else installed) computer where my one serious application works - a realtime trading Financial platform the whole stuff self updated and broke EVERY non trivial functionality.
On something where I could lose the thousands per hour, it started crashing again and again till Oracle - with calm - released the umpteenth Java patch that fixed it.

So, basically, you are to dump a functioning application for something with not secure future and that gives different but not less issues than dot Net.

If you really must do this, please leave some option to launch the game in another way, I am not going to install another bunch of potentially dead end software on my gaming PC, which so far is "crap free" and will stay so.

Remember, Oracle bought Sun to kill their competing business (high end server and database plaform), and broke and released Java patches slower than Sun did. What grants they will support it as good as Sun?

[Xarog]

I hate Java, but I really do loathe .net 10 times more.

So I'd be in favour of the change. I've honestly had a better experience with Java apps than I have with .net apps, and Java certainly seems less invasive to install on a PC.

Another concern of mine, is I am not even sure I even have Java on my computer to begin with. (Nor do I have any clue on how to tell if I do). And if I don't, I have no idea how to get it! (Yea, I AM that stupid. Surprise, surprise, not everyone who plays this game is a rocket scientist!*exaggerating to make a point* And if you cannot cope with the idea that maybe, just maybe, some of your customers are idiots and have a solution to work with that- then this propose change might not be such a good idea.)

Try loading Runescape. That will tell you very quickly whether or not your system has Java on it. (it probably does, btw).

[Peaches]

Husband won't let me have java on my computer. ;(

[C`gan]

You may be surprised, Peaches. Java is one of those sneaky things that seeps into your computer whether you realize it or not.

Hey, kind of reminds me of QuickTime!

[lightning claw]

Well speaking from a recent issue with Java and taking it with a grain of salt

bout a week a go Java issued and released an update i use avg paid (thats my choice and i will stick with it dont wast a post trying to get me to change )

Avg had a heart attack that java was given me a generic Trojan now i know its almost 80% chance of a false positive but it still has me a little weary of Sun Java

As an very infrequent user of this system i do not know enough about it to make an educated post could some one on the dev side explane to me how this will help the community and any pros and cons to this change ?

[Hasai]

Have you taken a look at Mono?

[DocFlareon]

Yes! A thousand times, yes! I use Linux, and switching to a Java patcher/launcher would be very welcome indeed.

[Spirit]

Have you taken a look at Mono?

That looks interesting... could solve the linux problem without rewriting the whole thing in Java.

The best java application I use is Azureus Vuze, and generally it works very well indeed. True it does update itself fairly often, but I don't recall it ever crashing out even when using older versions.

The thing is with .net ... well even disregarding the Istaria Launcher, there's probably an application on your pc that uses it. I've certainly got more than a few.

I'd investigate Mono... and if that couldn't work for Linux users then I'd consider Java for a new launcher. I can't say I like the present one, but it just needs tidying up and a load of stream-lining (i.e. quick login etc).

Some Java apps cause a the Java tea cup to display on the bottom-right bar. Vuze doesn't, so whatever method that app is using to implement Java is clearly more preferable to me.

Rakku