Print-friendly Version

Contents

• Introduction
• Java 2 SDK Documentation
• Release Notes
• Compatibility
• Bug Reports and Feedback
• Contents of the Java 2 SDK
• Java 2 Runtime Environment
• Redistribution
• Web Pages

Thank you for downloading this release of the Java 2 SDK, Standard Edition. The Java 2 SDK is a development environment for building applications, applets, and components using the Java programming language.

The Java 2 SDK includes tools useful for developing and testing programs written in the Java programming language and running on the Java platform. These tools are designed to be used from the command line. Except for the appletviewer, these tools do not provide a graphical user interface.

The documentation bundle contains API specifications, feature descriptions, developer guides, reference pages for SDK tools and utilities, demos, and links to related information. To install the bundle on your machine, refer to the product archive download page.

Also refer to The Java Class Libraries, Second Edition, published by Addison-Wesley Longman as part of The Java Series. These volumes include much more elaborate descriptions, with definitions of terminology and examples for classes, interfaces and members in ten core packages.

When you download and install the documentation bundle, a docs directory (folder) is created in the current directory. Some of the following sections refer you to docs directory locations for more information.

Release Notes

See the Release Notes information pertaining to this release.

Every effort has been made to support programs written for previous version of the Java platform. Although some incompatible changes were necessary, most software should migrate to current version with no reprogramming. Any failure to do so is considered a bug, except for a small number of cases where compatibility was deliberately broken, as described on our compatibility web page. Some compatibility-breaking changes were required to close potential security holes or to fix implementation or design bugs.

The Bug Parade Web Page on the Java Developer Connection web site lets you search for and examine existing bug reports, submit your own bug reports, and tell us which bug fixes matter most to you. To directly submit a bug or request a feature, fill out this form:

http://java.sun.com/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi

You can also send comments directly to Java Software engineering team email addresses.

To report bugs against the Japanese translation of the documentation, please send an email message describing the bug to sdk-docl10nbugs@java.sun.com. Be sure to include the URL of the document that has the bug.

Note - As this version of the Java 2 SDK has completed the Sun End of Life process, it is no longer supported by Sun. Any bug requests filed against this version will be evaluated and closed.

This section contains a general summary of the files and directories in the Java 2 SDK.

Development Tools

(In the bin subdirectory.) Tools and utilities that will help you develop, execute, debug, and document programs written in the Java programming language. For further information, see the tool documentation in docs/tooldocs/tools.html.

Runtime Environment

(In the jre subdirectory.) An implementation of the Java 2 runtime environment for use by the SDK. The runtime environment includes a Java virtual machine, class libraries, and other files that support the execution of programs written in the Java programming language.

Additional Libraries

(In the lib subdirectory.) Additional class libraries and support files required by the development tools.

Demo Applets and Applications

(In the demo subdirectory.) Examples, with source code, of programming for the Java platform. These include examples that use Swing and other Java Foundation Classes, and the Java Platform Debugger Architecture.

C header Files

(In the include subdirectory.) Header files that support native-code programming using the Java Native Interface, the Java Virtual Machine Debugger Interface, the Java Virtual Machine Profiler Interface, and other functionality of the Java 2 Platform.

Source Code

(In src.zip.) Java programming language source files for all classes that make up the Java 2 core API (that is, sources files for the java.*, javax.* and some org.* packages, but not for com.sun.* packages). This source code is provided for informational purposes only, to help developers learn and use the Java programming language. These files do not include platform-specific implementation code and cannot be used to rebuild the class libraries. To extract these file, use any common zip utility. Or, you may use the Jar utility in the Java 2 SDK's bin directory:

    jar xvf src.zip

The Java 2 Runtime Environment is available as a separately downloadable product. See the product archive download page.

The Java 2 Runtime Environment allows you to run applications written in the Java programming language. Like the Java 2 SDK, it contains the Java virtual machine, classes comprising the Java 2 Platform API, and supporting files. Unlike the Java 2 SDK, it does not contain development tools such as compilers and debuggers.

You can freely redistribute the Java 2 Runtime Environment with your application, according to the terms of the Runtime Environment's license. Once you have developed your application using the Java 2 SDK, you can ship it with the Runtime Environment so your end-users will have a Java platform on which to run your software.

The term "vendors" used here refers to licensees, developers, and independent software vendors (ISVs) who license and distribute the Java 2 Runtime Environment with their programs. Vendors must follow the terms of the Java 2 SDK, Standard Edition, Binary Code License agreement.

Required vs. Optional Files

The files that make up the Java 2 SDK, Standard Edition, are divided into two categories: required and optional. Optional files may be excluded from redistributions of the Java 2 SDK at the vendor's discretion. The following section contains a list of the files and directories that may optionally be omitted from redistributions of the Java 2 SDK. All files not in these lists of optional files must be included in redistributions of the Java 2 SDK.

Optional Files and Directories

The following files may be optionally excluded from redistributions:

jre/lib/charsets.jar

Character conversion classes

jre/lib/ext/

Directory containing extension jar files

bin/rmid and jre/bin/rmid

Java RMI Activation System Daemon

bin/rmiregistry and jre/bin/rmiregistry

Java Remote Object Registry

bin/tnameserv and jre/bin/tnameserv

Java IDL Name Server

bin/keytool and jre/bin/keytool

Key and Certificate Management Tool

bin/policytool and jre/bin/policytool

Policy File Creation and Management Tool

bin/orbd and jre/bin/orbd

Object Request Broker Daemon

bin/servertool and jre/bin/servertool

Java IDL Server Tool

src.zip

Archive of source files

In addition, the Java Web Start product may be excluded from redistributions. The Java Web Start product is contained in a file named javaws-1_0_1_02-solsparc-int.zip, javaws-1_0_1_02-solx86-int.zip, javaws-1_0_1_02-linux-int.zip, or javaws-1_0_1_02-win-int.exe, depending on the platform.

Unlimited Strength Java Cryptography Extension

Due to import control restrictions for some countries, the Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) policy files shipped with the Java 2 SDK, Standard Edition and the Java 2 Runtime Environment allow strong but limited cryptography to be used. These files are located at

<java-home>/lib/security/local_policy.jar
<java-home>/lib/security/US_export_policy.jar

where <java-home> is the jre directory of the Java 2 SDK or the top-level directory of the Java 2 Runtime Environment. An unlimited strength version of these files indicating no restrictions on cryptographic strengths is available on the Java 2 SDK web site for those living in eligible countries. Those living in eligible countries may download the unlimited strength version and replace the strong cryptography jar files with the unlimited strength files.

Endorsed Standards Override Mechanism

An endorsed standard is a Java API defined through a standards process other than the Java Community Process (JCP). Because endorsed standards are defined outside the JCP, it is anticipated that such standards will be revised between releases of the Java 2 Platform. In order to take advantage of new revisions to endorsed standards, developers and software vendors may use the Endorsed Standards Override Mechanism to provide newer versions of an endorsed standard than those included in the Java 2 Platform as released by Sun Microsystems.

For more information on the Endorsed Standards Override Mechanism, including the list of platform packages that it may be used to override, see docs/guide/standards/.

Classes in the packages listed on that web page may be replaced only by classes implementing a more recent version of the API as defined by the appropriate standards body.

In addition to the packages listed in the document at the above URL, which are part of the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE) specification, redistributors of Sun's J2SE Reference Implementation are allowed to override classes whose sole purpose is to implement the functionality provided by public APIs defined in these Endorsed Standards packages. These would include, for example, subsidiary packages in the org.w3c.dom namespace whose purpose is to implement the org.w3c.dom APIs.

For additional information, refer to these Sun Microsystems pages on the World Wide Web:

http://java.sun.com/

The Java Software web site, with the latest information on Java technology, product information, news, and features.

http://java.sun.com/docs

Java Platform Documentation provides access to white papers, the Java Tutorial and other documents.

http://java.sun.com/jdc

The Java Developer Connection web site. (Free registration required.) Additional technical information, news, and features; user forums; support information, and much more.

http://java.sun.com/products/

Java Technology Products & API