JBuilder9 for Linux installation

[therlihy]

I am attempting to install the Borland JBuilder IDE that is made for Linux. I get the following error
when installation is in mid-process (it says it cannot execute the binary "per_install.bin"):
========== session ==============
[TWHComputer:/usr/bin] therlihy% /Users/therlihy/develop/jb9_linux/per_install.bin -f /Users/therlihy/develop/JBinstaller.txt
Preparing to install...
Extracting the JRE from the installer archive...
Unpacking the JRE...
Extracting the installation resources from the installer archive...
Configuring the installer for this system's environment...

Launching installer...

/Users/therlihy/develop/jb9_linux/per_install.bin: /tmp/install.dir.837/Linux/resource/jre/bin/java: cannot execute binary file
[TWHComputer:/usr/bin] therlihy%
==============================

This Java app has been installed successfully on Mac OS X at least through version 7. Some tweaking
for the mac platform is required, but that comes only after the installation is in place.

I have used gunzip and tar to decompress and dearchive the tar.gz I downloaded, to avoid getting a "Macbinary" that the operating system may have trouble with. I have tried it both with a destination directory created and without.

Any hints appreciated.

TWH

[hayne]

Quote: Originally posted by therlihy tmp/install.dir.837/Linux/resource/jre/bin/java: cannot execute binary file

The Java interpreter ('java' - usually /usr/bin/java on OS X) is an executable which, like most executables, is targeted at a specific CPU chip and specific operating system. I.e. you shouldn't expect the Java interpreter from Linux to run on OS X.
And the JBuilder installation seems to use the Java interpreter to do part of the install. I guess you need to tweak the installer to use Apple's Java interpreter instead.

[therlihy]

Hayne:

Thanks for the reply. A solution actually appeared in the newsgroups, and my
successful experience with JBuilder 9 follows:

Subj: "Borland JBuilder 9 Personal Edition: it runs on Mac OS X 10.2.6"

With the skillful assistance of the "borland.public.jbuilder.macintosh" usergroup (Paul Furbacher and Tony Piselli in particular), I did succeed in downloading, installing, and running the free Personal Edition of Borland JBuilder 9 (Linux version) on my Mac (running OS X 10.2.6). This experience may give others confidence.

(1) The download was completely straightforward. I did use gzip and tar commands in the Terminal to decompress and de-archive the jb9_linux.tar.gz file, just to be sure I would not create a "MacBinary" (with Stuffit Expander) that wouldn't behave properly. This was probably not necessary.

(2) Again in the Terminal, I used the simple command line(s) provided by Tony P and Paul F in the usergroup posts to install the program from the binary file. It varies from the Borland Linux release notes, which suggest you can choose the Directory where JBuilder will be stored. In fact, you specify the Linux default location and, somehow, the Darwin system places it in a "Mac-like location" suited to the purpose-- /Developer/Applications/JBuilder9/. [NOTE that this directory may not even exist if you haven't installed the Developer Tools that came with your Mac--do this first if you haven't, but go to the Apple website indicated in para (3) to get the December 02 version if you didn't buy your Mac/operating system recently]

In the Terminal, change directories to the folder in which you find the "per_install.bin" file. The command lines for installation follow:

% chmod 744 per_install.bin
% sh per_install.bin LAX_VM /usr/bin/java

(3) Before attempting to run the program (and thus the first Java app I believe I have ever run on this machine), I checked the Mac updates site to see if the July 2002 Developer Tools I originally installed on my machine are the latest. They are not, and Mac stresses the need to install two updates (48 MB and 301 MB) to get current at JDK 1.4.1, as follows:

"The Mac OS X Developer Tools are available from the Download Software link. There are two components to download that together give you the full Java 1.4.1 development environment for Mac OS X. The Mac OS X section contains the base Mac OS X Developer Tools. Download and install the most current released version available. There is also a Java–specific update to the base developer tools, the Java 1.4.1 Developer Tools Update, which is available in the Java section. Download and install this as well."

Here's the site for the free downloads (you do have to go through becoming a "member" to access the software--a small inconvenience at most):

http://connect.apple.com/

The update went fine.

(4) I really have no idea if the following is necessary, but I followed some advice posted on macosxhints.com for getting JBuilder7 working on a Mac again after updating the JDK from 1.3.1 to 1.4.1 (the latter is necessary for JBuilder9). I'm not even sure the jdk.config file is being read (it refers to the Mac operating system, and I'd love to know where that came from because I installed a LINUX system). For what it's worth, I followed these directions and the program does run:

"In your JBuilder7 folder, navigate to JBuilder.framework/bin/
2. Open the jdk.config file in a text editor. You may need to do this from the shell with the sudo command depending on how the permissions to JBuilder7 are set. For example, type sudo vi jdk.config
3. Add the following line: javapath /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/1.4.1/Libraries/libjvm_compat.dylib
4. Save the file and launch JBuilder7 by double clicking the icon."

Obviously, the above has to be read to refer to JBuilder9, not 7.

(5) Last step: running the program. I am going to experiment with Mac's new "JAR Bundler" to create a double-clickable app. but for the moment I am following Paul F's advice to start JBuilder using the Terminal app. The following is a generic text file named "JB9alt.command" that accomplishes this. I store it in my home directory (because that's where the Borland "registratioon" file I was sent in email is housed--it "activates" the program at no cost. Strangely, I have not yet been asked to "activate" the product--it just runs).

=============== JB9alt.command file follows ===================================

# Credits:
# Original author -- Dave Yost
# Modifications -- Paul Furbacher
# Use at your own risk; make modifications according to
# your installation.

# Optional arguments in the last line of this script:
#
# -info prints out info equivalent to that found in the About
# box > Info tab.
#
# -verbose prints out a verbose record of the OpenTool initializatin
# and more
#
# -license starts the License Manager
#

echo "Environment"

/usr/bin/env

echo ""

if [ $# -eq 0 ]
then args="-info"
else args=$@
fi

echo $args

JBUILDER_HOME=/Developer/Applications/JBuilder9
jdk=1.4.1

useGrowBox=true

cd $JBUILDER_HOME/JBuilder.framework/bin

#jars=`find ../patch ../lib ../lib/ext -name \*.jar | tr '\012' : `
jars=`find ../lib -name \*.jar | tr '\012' : `

exec
/System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/$jdk/Commands/java \
-Xdock:name="JBuilder 8_Ent":icon=$JBUILDER_HOME/JBuilder.app/Contents/Resources/JBuilder.icns \
-Xmaxf0.2 \
-Xminf0.2 \
-Dapple.laf.useScreenMenuBar=true \
-Dapple.awt.showGrowBox=$useGrowBox \
-Xverify:none \
-Xbootclasspath/p:../lib/lawt.jar:../lib/javac.jar:../lib/TabbedPaneFix.jar:../lib/SequencedEventFix.jar:../lib/JarManifestFix.jar:/Syste$
-Xms32m \
-Xmx256m \
-cp ${jars}:/System/Library/Java \
com.borland.jbuilder.JBuilder $args

==========================================================

I don't know that much yet about UNIX, but the extension (".command") allows you to simply double-click on the file in the Mac Finder, and the script will execute in the Terminal, and about 40 seconds later, you have JBuilder9 running. Pretty neat.

I am attempting to attach the file to this posting, because it is important that it be "generic text" with UNIX linebreaks and "gremlins zapped" (go to the Borland usergroup if you want more advice on this, but use BBEdit Lite for starters, not Mac's own Text Editor. If the file comes through, try it out as is. Only copy and paste out the above into a new file if you have to [i.e, if the attachment simply doesn't make it].

You may wonder why the "alt" is in the filename. Some late-breaking advice indicated that an added JAR library is needed to run the latest JBuilder in the latest Mac environment (a lib/javac.jar is necessary). It is now accessed by the script.

That's it

TWH

[sjoshi]

Has anyone succeeded in installing JBuilder 9 for linux on Panther using either these instructions, or with some (minor) modifications?

Any info on JBuilder on Panther from the folks familiar with JBuilder on OS X will be appreciated. Thanks.

[robD]

I recently installed jbuilder9 according to the instructions above (step 4 appears to be unnecessary...) on my copy of Panther, on my PBG4, with absolutely no issues at all

-Rob

[therlihy]

To all:

I haven't checked myself, but I am told that Borland has "officially supported" OS X installations in its most recent version of JBuilder (10). If so, there's no reason to rely on the cobbled together installer I posted for the Linux version of JBuilder 9.

regards

TWH