From: GrtArtiste on
I currently dual-boot Ubuntu 8.04 on one computer (XP) and 9.04
(Vista) on another. I keep the latest JRE on both. It seems that a new
update gets pushed out about twice a year. Every time this happens,
the result is that Java is unusable in Firefox until I use the command
line to unlink the existing symbolic link in Firefox and create a new
one for the new version. It doesn't take long and I know the
procedure, the questions is ...why? Is there a better way to update
Java that wouldn't include jumping through these hoops? And do other
Linux distros operate this same way? This process is much simpler in
Windows-simply uninstall the previous update and install the new one.
No strain, no pain. In general, I like Ubuntu but sometimes I hesitate
to recommend it to Windows users who would have difficulty with a
situation like this.

GrtArtiste
From: DenverD on
GrtArtiste wrote:
> This process is much simpler in
> Windows-simply uninstall the previous update and install the new one.

that is also possible in openSUSE, are you sure it is not possible in
the brown one (which i have never used but i can imagine)

apt del java[old]
followed by
apt get java[new]

--
DenverD (Linux Counter 282315) via Thunderbird 2.0.0.23 (20090817),
KDE 3.5.7 "release 72-11", openSUSE Linux 10.3, 2.6.22.19-0.4-default
#1 SMP i686 athlon
From: GrtArtiste on
On Dec 13, 11:30 am, DenverD <spam.t...(a)SOMEwhere.dk> wrote:

> that is also possible in openSUSE, are you sure it is not possible in
> the brown one (which i have never used but i can imagine)
>
> apt del java[old]
> followed by
> apt get java[new]

Thanks for the reply. My original post seems to have disappeared from
Google Groups.

No, I am not sure that it is not possible in Ubuntu. I am just used to
accepting the auto-updates that take place. I suppose that I could
ignore it and explore apt-get. I was just venting that Ubuntu does
things this way, which IMHO seems to be a sub-optimal method of
getting things done.

GrtArtiste

below is a repeat of the original message which Google seems to have
borked:

I currently dual-boot Ubuntu 8.04 on one computer (XP) and 9.04
(Vista) on another. I keep the latest JRE on both. It seems that a new
update gets pushed out about twice a year. Every time this happens,
the result is that Java is unusable in Firefox until I use the command
line to unlink the existing symbolic link in Firefox and create a new
one for the new version. It doesn't take long and I know the
procedure, the questions is ...why? Is there a better way to update
Java that wouldn't include jumping through these hoops? And do other
Linux distros operate this same way? This process is much simpler in
Windows-simply uninstall the previous update and install the new one.
No strain, no pain. In general, I like Ubuntu but sometimes I hesitate
to recommend it to Windows users who would have difficulty with a
situation like this.



From: Mark Hobley on
GrtArtiste <grtartiste(a)aol.com> wrote:
> I currently dual-boot Ubuntu 8.04 on one computer (XP) and 9.04
> (Vista) on another. I keep the latest JRE on both. It seems that a new
> update gets pushed out about twice a year. Every time this happens,
> the result is that Java is unusable in Firefox until I use the command
> line to unlink the existing symbolic link in Firefox and create a new
> one for the new version. It doesn't take long and I know the
> procedure, the questions is ...why? Is there a better way to update
> Java that wouldn't include jumping through these hoops?

You could keep a local respository and create an update script that
updates to your local repository. You can then keep an appropriate
installation script on the local repository that makes the appropriate
system changes.

The client update process would then simply download and run your
installation script.

This puts the update under your control, since the repository is updated
at a time you decide, and with the versions that you have chosen.

Mark.

--
Mark Hobley
Linux User: #370818 http://markhobley.yi.org/

From: A Watcher on
GrtArtiste wrote:
> On Dec 13, 11:30 am, DenverD <spam.t...(a)SOMEwhere.dk> wrote:
>
>> that is also possible in openSUSE, are you sure it is not possible in
>> the brown one (which i have never used but i can imagine)
>>
>> apt del java[old]
>> followed by
>> apt get java[new]
>
> Thanks for the reply. My original post seems to have disappeared from
> Google Groups.
>
> No, I am not sure that it is not possible in Ubuntu. I am just used to
> accepting the auto-updates that take place. I suppose that I could
> ignore it and explore apt-get. I was just venting that Ubuntu does
> things this way, which IMHO seems to be a sub-optimal method of
> getting things done.
>
> GrtArtiste
>
> below is a repeat of the original message which Google seems to have
> borked:
>
> I currently dual-boot Ubuntu 8.04 on one computer (XP) and 9.04
> (Vista) on another. I keep the latest JRE on both. It seems that a new
> update gets pushed out about twice a year. Every time this happens,
> the result is that Java is unusable in Firefox until I use the command
> line to unlink the existing symbolic link in Firefox and create a new
> one for the new version. It doesn't take long and I know the
> procedure, the questions is ...why? Is there a better way to update
> Java that wouldn't include jumping through these hoops? And do other
> Linux distros operate this same way? This process is much simpler in
> Windows-simply uninstall the previous update and install the new one.
> No strain, no pain. In general, I like Ubuntu but sometimes I hesitate
> to recommend it to Windows users who would have difficulty with a
> situation like this.
>
>
>

I use Mint which is based on Ubuntu and I don't have that problem. I
don't recall getting any notices of Java updates, though, like I do
with Windows.