[CentOS-docs] Proposal: Java HowTo Section

Sean Gilligan wrote:
> Ralph Angenendt wrote:
...

>>     
>> Maybe someone with a bit better java background than I have would like to 
>> chime in?


Ned-style disclaimer, I am not a Java expert; OTOH, I have 
built/rebuilt-from-SRPM a lot of Java packages over the years using the 
HowTo or variations on that theme, so I'm chiming in anyway.

> Russ Herrold added the "special note" on OpenJDK, hopefully he will 
> chime in.
> 
> Sorry, again for the long-winded proposal.  To make a real quick summary 
> of what I'm suggesting:
> 
> 1) Move the current HowTo to a new Java Section
> 2) Create a new NowTo for OpenJDK on CentOS 5.3 and later

Makes sense to me, but the older 5.x stuff should be moved out of the 
main article to a footnote, or better yet to a "Legacy" [sub]page to 
avoid confusion - if it is to be kept at all.  We don't want to 
encourage people to use the 5.0-5.2 approach on 5.3, nor to fail to keep 
up to date.

> The current HowTo describes various methods of installing Sun or IBM's 
> commercial Java.
> 
> OpenJDK makes CentOS 5.3 the first version of CentOS to have a built-in 
> Java that is fully compatible with Sun's latest Java.  This is a 
> significant change from earlier releases and for most 5.3 users makes 
> the previous HowTo obsolete.

+1 with the caveat that plugins are not provided by the upstream 
packages.  Sounds like a CentOSplus candidate, or we are forced to point 
people to 3rd party repos for browser plugins that IMHO really ought to 
be part of the core.

http://bugs.centos.org/view.php?id=3574

Phil