proposed java install and extensions directory change

Thu Feb 28 14:30:00 GMT 2002

These are some changes I feel it is important to make in gcc 3.1,
so I'm hoping we can come to agreement quickly.
* We agree to follow the proposed Debian Java policy, in that jar
files should be installed as $(prefix)/share/java/LIBRARY-VERSION.jar.
(This implies that RHUG and others packages need to be fixed.)
* libgcj.jar is installed in $(prefix)/share/java/libgcj-VERSION.jar,
instead of $(prefix)/share/libgcj.jar. VERSION is the gcc version
number string.
* We define an "extensions directory", which I propose should be
$prefix/share/java/ext. Code that installs a library *may*
add a link from $(prefix)/share/java/ext/LIBRARY.jar to
$(prefix)/share/java/LIBRARY-VERSION.jar. Users *may* install
libraries directly into $(prefix)/share/java/ext, but a Makefile
or an install script *should* use a link instead.
* We (try to) get this added to the Debian Java policy.
* gcj gets an extra --extdirs (and for jdk compatibility -extdirs)
option. If a class cannot be found otherwise, gcj searches every
.jar in in the listed directories. (I.e. the extension directories
are search *after* the bootclasspath.) The flag overrides (rather
than adds to) the default extension directory $(prefix)/share/java/ext.
* The run-time classloader should do the same searching However, this
is not so critical for gcj, assuming .so files have been installed, but
it is important if .jar files are installed without corresponding .so
files.
-- 
	--Per Bothner
per@bothner.com http://www.bothner.com/per/