JavaVM for AmigaOS4

[hnl_dk]

It sounds like lots of people would like an JavaVM for AmigaOS 4.x ...

So why not use one of the ones that have worked before?

Kaffe has worked before ... so why not port the new versions???

It sould be posible, as it was before.

We could also be able to use Classpath, so we don't need Sun's proprietary class libraries :-D

There are also some other OpenSource JavaVM's out there, kissme should also work on PPC (don't know, didn't have time to find out, but there was no x86 ONLY sign)

I hope there will help some of the desperate minds ;-)

PS: replace http:// with ftp:// in the links to GeekGadgets!

[hnl_dk]

ok, I had a close look at this site, and it looks like Kaffe is slow as hell (still better than nothing) and kissme is only for x86 ... but it would still be nice if Kaffe would run native on AmigaOS 4.0 :-D

[hnl_dk]

Or what about this one ... there has been no Amiga-port, but it's for PPC :-D

Still Kaffe would be nice ;-)

[MarkTime]

programmers generally are not sitting around waiting for non-technical people to supply them with ideas.....

if you want it, grab a keyboard and start hacking away at it.

On another topic, my wife and I agreed I should buy an Amiga.... :-)  I wonder if I should have explained that is a computer (DOH!)....

anyway...I plan on to do some programming, but not port kaffe...maybe I'll look at the BSD sources for the .NET CLI and port that....(double DOH!)....

naaaa, I am going to do what I always do, some weird thing that no one really wants....my last two projects were a SDIF complain swim meet software, and a very exciting process interrupt report.

But I am looking forward to programming on the Amiga again, and at least i know if I want something I can just write it....hehehehe  :-P

[hnl_dk]

I would like to give it a try, but I first need to get AmigaOS 4.0 (and off course a computer able to run AmigaOS 4.0).

Kaffe from GeekGadgets should still work, it's old, so it will not run all the "new" content ;-)

[MarkTime]

I took a look at the link for kaffe...it was interesting.
I think its great they ported an early version of kaffe, and that should be wonderful for learning...but surely they never ported AWT and Swing, and stuff like that? even when it was released, ir probably didn't run the 'new stuff'   my guess it was just the basic engine without all the jfc's.....just a guess though.

I think beyond the jvm, a lot of the API's will need to be ported as well....but everything helps...

[trgse]

there is a better/faster option available
and that is GCC's GCJ (or was it GJC)

GCC's Java Compiler (it produces native code)
it compiles both .java and .class to native code.

and since OS4 will get GCC 3.2+ GCJ would be a 'simple'
way to execute java code on the amiga until DE is
available.

otherwise, why not contact Holger about his JavaVM
which apparently was just about ready (Hyperion?).

[tonyw]

As I announced on the software forum last December, I am working on porting kaffe to the AmigaOS. I contacted Hyperion and was told that no one else they know of was working on the project, so I've started on it.

People who expect Hyperion (or anyone else) to provide java free, out of the goodness of their little hearts, need a good box about the ears. Hyperion's brief is to port the Amiga OS to PPC, nothing more. However, I will do what I can to get kaffe to work.

Kaffe is a multi-platform distribution with common sources. The configuration script determines the host and target machines and makes a version that runs on the right hardware. As you would expect, it is designed to run on the common OSes like *nix, *indows, etc, any processor.

Kaffe's history:

There was an old version (0.9) which ran on the Amiga - the binary is on Aminet. It runs, but it's very old and much progress has been made since then. The current version (1.0.7) can be downloaded from kaffe.org and you can build it for your machine.
 
I have loaded, built and tested it under SuSE on my PC, and it runs like a charm, very fast with its JIT. If we could have it run on AOS, it would be great.

HOWEVER:

The build and execution has to be performed under GeekGadgets Linux on an Amiga. I tried downloading the required files from GeekGadgets.org, but they are all of different revision levels and won't work as a package. So I bought the CD from Schatztruhe and installed from there. Now at least there is a consistent package and I have had more success with that.
The Amiga configuration does not work. It may have worked back in version 0.9, but not now. There are libraries and headers missing, and no indication of what is needed.

What has to be done:
The scripts make it all very easy (if it works). You have to:
(1) configure by running the configure script. This runs all sort of tests on your machine and builds Makefiles accordingly;
(2) build by running the Makefiles that configure writes;
(3) test the executables with the 115 test programs.

You need the right version of gcc, the right version of ixemul, etc, etc. It's all very "iffy".
As I said, it doesn't work on an Amiga  with GeekGadgets.  I am currently trying to determine what is missing in the way of libraries, since all the modules compile OK (after a few weeks of work), but some binaries just won't build.

Good news: the java compiler built, runs and compiles the test programs. But I can't build the run time executable yet.

The Plan: to get the Classic version (m68k) working first. That will at least run under AOS 4 in emulation mode. Then I'll work on the PPC native version, which will be a whole new set of problems.

I'll let you know when I get further.

tony

[Marky_D_Sahd]

Go fer it, Tony!  Glad to see you're working on Kaffe!  Now, if we could just get someone to port over some donuts....... :-D

[Crumb]

Check out The Amiga Jikes page But it seems that it is only a compiler and that it doesn't support AWT, Swing etc... :-/
This is the Kaffe port with graphics support
Good luck with your port.

[samface]

otherwise, why not contact Holger about his JavaVM which apparently was just about ready (Hyperion?).

I agree. But like I've said so many times before; the MorphOS vs AmigaOS4 split has these kind of effects. There are so many people that emphasize the ability to choose from different products while not realizing that splitting the bread into more slices won't give you more bread.

This wasn't meant as flamebait nor MorphOS bashing, it's more of a conclusion or a "told you so" statement. There is no point in arguing this and therefore I ask you to please to restrain yourself from flaming.

[Hattig]

Java is more than a language - it is a platform.

So whilst gcj can compile Java to native code, without support for AWT, etc, it will not run/compile applications designed to run on the Java platform.

I don't know the status of open-source AWT replacements. I know that there are full Gnome and KDE bindings for Java, so you can write Gnome/KDE applications in Java and compile them natively if you so desire - these apps are obviously not for the Java platform either - much like an app written in Visual J++ using the win32 Java bindings is not a Java platform application.

What the Amiga needs, is a Java Platform implementation, even just a runtime. A Java 1.4 implementation would be great... but unexpected.

[kolla]

On another topic, my wife and I agreed I should buy an Amiga....  I wonder if I should have explained that is a computer (DOH!)....

I would be really impressed if she agreed that you should buy yourself a girlfrend.  :-)  

[samface]

What the Amiga needs, is a Java Platform implementation, even just a runtime. A Java 1.4 implementation would be great... but unexpected.

Well, you have to remember that we will have the functionality of Java and much more once we have the AmigaDE for AmigaOS4.2. I know, the current JavaVM for the AmigaDE isn't the latest version and might lack a few features. But then, it will have the compatibility required for most Java apps and the functionality of TAO's Virtual Processor is so much more than the JavaVM.

[Troels_E]

MOS will have a JVM made by Allan Havemose I was wondering if it was made from scratch or based on some existing project/port, also how far in developement is it?

Anyone who knows?

I am a little concerned as to what AmigaDE will have to offer concerning JAVA. As AmigaDE is probably not very integrated with OS4.2 I don't know in what way OS4.2 applications will benefit from AmigaDE's JAVA.