About Java 1.5: Instructions for Installers of Impro-Visor

Bob Keller

Updated 4 April 2006

• Java 1.5 is not yet common-place. It is different enough from 1.4 that Impro-Visor will not run on the latter.
  
  
• You can download Java 1.5 free from:
  
  http://www.java.com/download/

What you want is the JRE (Java Runtime Environment) 1.5,

also called “Version 5” or “J2SE Runtime Environment 5.0”.

Windows and Linux users can install from this page and need not read any further on this page.

For MacOS users: you should be redirected to something like:

http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/java2se50release1.html

which is under control of Apple.

When you install the package, you will get this message:

Java 2 Platform Standard Edition (J2SE) 5.0 Release 1 provides support for J2SE 5.0 on Mac OS X 10.4. This release does not replace the existing installation of J2SE 1.4.2.

If you also get this message:

You cannot install J2SE 5.0 Release 1 Package on this volume.

This volume contains a newer version of Java 1.5.

then you already have 1.5 and you should quite the installation.

Once you have J2SE 5.0 on MacOS, run this utility:

/Applications/Utilities/Java/J2SE 5.0/Java Preferences.app

and tell it to give priority version J2SE 5.0. You should see in the lower window something like

J2SE 1.4.2

J2SE 5.0

You want to drag J2SE 5.0 so that it is on top.

When you then double-click the improvisor.jar icon, it should open the application.

Mac users beware that the “upgrades” currently being offered by Apple in automatic system upgrades may reset your version back to 1.4. If you upgrade, you may have to run the Java Preferences.app utility again.

As far as I know, it is not possible to run Java 1.5 on MacOSX older than Tiger, or on MacOS 9.0 or earlier.