java for linux

[Mark Polhamus]

micheal kasuba wrote:
>  I'm trying to fine java for linux, I've downloaded a
> file called j2sdk-142-nb_3_5_1_bin-linux.bin. Where I
> got it was for java but do not know how to open it. If
> this is not it can some one help me find the right
> one.
> John

sdk = development kit (with compiler).  If you just want to *run* Java 
applications you can get by with the runtime environment: which is smaller: 
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html

If you do development and run an rpm based system you might be interested in 
the Jpackage project which is an alternative way of installing Java, see 
http://jpackage.org.  This isn't the *easiest* way as you will have to build 
some rpms from source rpms due to Sun's restrictive redistribution policy. 
 From http://jpackage.org/about.php:

|Goals
|
|JPackage Project has two primary goals:
|
|    * To provide a coherent set of Java software packages for Linux,
|    satisfying all quality requirements of other applications.
|    * To establish an efficient and robust policy for Java software
|    installation.
|
|We focus on free and open source software, and avoid proprietary stuff
|whenever possible. For convenience, we also provide non-free source
|packages when no other solution is possible.
|
|Our RPMs are generic, they should work in any RPM based Linux distribution
|(Mandrake, Red Hat, SuSE, others). Other packaging format suggestions
|are welcome too.


-- Mark Polhamus
-- meplists at earthlink.net