I am having problems with limewire and java. I downloaded j2re from the Dag RPM, but now I dont know what to do after that. I have seen various instructions on what to do, but I dont even know where to find my folder with firefox or java. I just need to know where to look for these files and what command to use so that I can get java working and get limewire working. The directiions on Java's site arent helpful, I am very new to this and I dont wanna go in and edit files possibly messing somthing up Can someone give me a fairly simple step by step to find the needed folders and commands...?
Thanks alot,
Charles

i'm assuming you are in KDE/Gnome - yes? If so - just run that rpm file like you would an exe file in windows, give your root password at the prompt and let it go, after that, install limewire - and then run the file called "limewire" in whichever folder you installed it to (i just installed mine to /home/me/Limewire)

Or if you are using the command line:

type:
eg:
hope that helps!

Well I am using Gnome, and I am also using yum extender so it just installed java for me. But the problem I am having is getting firefox to be java supported. I have read that you have insert some code in the firefox plugins file or something like that. SO that is where I am lost. I dont know what I need to do to install the plugins for firefox, and then after that I can get limewire to work.

You have to create a symlink from your java plugin directory to your firefox installation e.g.
Change the paths so that they are the same as the ones on your system.

Thanks redazz, but this is the problem that I am having. I have seen this command before and the problem that I am having is trying to figure out which paths I have to use on my computer. I tried to find the firefox files and dont know if I use the one with /usr/.../mozilla/firefox or the one that has /usr/.../firefox/ . I really just need to know where to look, and what specfically to look for. Sorry if this seems kind of like a stupid question, its just that I am really new to this.

He's listing the java development kit as the path to his java. He really should be paying attention. His path is wrong.


You seem to be talking about a couple problems related to Java but with two different causes and two different solutions. The path he mentions is the path to the plugins needed to get firefox to work with java apps.

If you downloaded and installed java from sun's site and the version is 1.5 then

/usr/java/jre1.5.0_02/plugin/i386/ns7-gcc29

or

/usr/java/jre1.5.0_02/plugin/i386/ns7

Your symbolic link should be created in the firefox plugin directory. His command would create it but it would probably point to a version/directory/path (whatever) that you don't have and hence it won't work.

BUUUUTTTTTTT.........

You titled your thread about limewire which is an app that doesn't require Firefox to work. It works independently of your browser. Limewire is an application in and of itself. In that case you need to correct the path to the real version of java that is installed in your /usr/java directory.

What distro are you using? What version of java?

Again, java is located in /usr/java.

FC3 puts the wrong symbolic link so Limewire won't work. You have to fix the distro's mistake by creating the correct sym link to the one in your /usr/java directory.

If the RPM you got from Dag Wiers installed 1.5 of java then you'd do something like this in a terminal window:

cd /usr/bin
ls -al java*

You should see a symbolic link to java.

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 30 Mar 23 20:16 java -> /usr/java/jre1.5.0_02/bin/java

This will probably point to a different folder than the one in my example.

Read the path listed in yours. Then change to that directory and see if the files are there.

If they aren't you'll need to locate your java runtime files. ****** YOU are only verifying the path at this point***********

type: cd /usr/java

get a listing: ls -al

If you see the jre* folders find the one with the highest version number. Right now I believe it is:

drwxr-xr-x 7 root root 4096 Feb 10 07:38 jre1.5.0_02

Then change into that directory, e.g., cd jre1.5.0_02

If you change into that directory then you are good to go and you have completed the verification part.

Now the fix is as simple as getting rid of the sym link that points to the wrong place and creating a new symlink that points to the version of java that you do have.

Again, this has nothign whatsoever to do with your browser. This is just to get the correct sym link to the version of the java runtime environment that you want to use.

type:

cd /usr/bin

rm java (answer yes to confirm, if you are prompted)

OR

mv java javaold (to rename the file instead of deleting it)

type:

ln -s /usr/java/jre1.5.0_02/bin/java /usr/bin/java

This will create a link in your /usr/bin folder which contains the symbolic link called java. This is just like a shortcut in windows xp or an alias in osx. It is simply a pointer to an application in another location so you don't have to copy around files or have extensively long path environment variable.


If you go to your /usr/bin folder and do an ls -al java* you should see a correct link pointing to your installed version of the java runtime. If the link is red and/or is flashing it means your link is incorrect and you need to review your paths and filenames to ensure that you typed them correctly.

Once that link is created and it points to the correct version of java your limewire will run. I have seen it complain at start up, but it still runs and functions correctly.

Hope this helps.

I am using FC3 and the when I last checked it was using 1.4.6(I think .6) version Java. Basically you are right though, I want to get limewire to work and somewhere I read that you had to get java in firefox to work to accomplish this. If I can get the two to work together that would be great, but mainly I want limewire for now. So is there something that I need to change in the java files to point it to limewire, or vice versa? Am I close or way off? Again sorry for the step by step questions, I have only been using linux for a week or so. Oh, and I did download the 1.5 version from Java, but I didnt install it I think. I used yum ex to get the j2re(newest version I am assuming) from the Dag repo and it just installs it for me. Does this help?

Sorry, for some reason Jimbo the last half of your post didnt come up the first time, and thats why I posted some more questions that are answered in your original response. I will take a try at it and see what happens... Thanks

Limewire does not require a plugin to work. Firefox will only utilize a java plugin, hence they are handled differently.

Yes, some java instalaltion packages put the correct links in place and some do not.

Go to www.java.com and download the most current version of the java runtime. It will come down as a .bin file which you can execute from a terminal window.

It will install the most current runtime in the location where I stated, but it doesn't create the symbolic links.

My best suggestion is when you are solving problems such as this to work on one issue at a time. If you want limewire to work then focus on it. Once you get it working, then focus on firefox.

BTW, Opera seems to do the plugin thing correctly for java. I've had alot of problems with mozilla and firefox over the years trying to get it work properly.

I was editing it. Although you have this problem others will too, so I wanted to write it so that others searching for this solution in the future have something more complete by which to reference, hence, that's why you saw only parts of it.

There are simpler instructions available in the forum linked from my sig.

Edit: oops, forgot I don't have it here. Official LimeWire install instructions