Here are some answers to questions about the JDK source code. Last Update

$Id: 09-source.sgml,v 1.1 1998/11/13 02:50:16 stevemw Exp $ Can I Build Java Myself?

Building the JDK on Linux with patches supplied by Steve Byrne is fairly straightforward. See for the diffs and some additional details.

I encourage you to read from the patched source distribution if you plan to undertake this project. You will need to sign a license agreement with Javasoft in order to download the sources.

See section below for details. Could You Give Me a Pointer to Sun's Licensing Agreement?

In order to obtain the JDK sources, first you must read, sign, and FAX in an agreement with Sun. The agreement can be found at . How do I Build the JDK Now that I Have the Source?

Please read the file. What about Motif? Don't I Need That?

You can build the JDK against Lesstif, the GNU copylefted implementation of the Motif API. For more information, visit their website at . Make sure you get the "current" distribution. They are very responsive to accurate bug and problem reports.

On the other hand, a number of Motif developer library vendors exist for Linux systems. I recommend you read the Motif news group FAQ. You can find it here: . When I Build and Install, I Get Unsatisfied Link Errors at Runtime!

Make sure you're building all the targets Steve Byrne suggests in . Here's an example: make DESTDIR="$ALT_JAVAHOME/jdk116v2b" RELEASE="MY-JDK1.1.6-V2B" \ appletviewer jre_only 2>&1 | tee MakeOut-V2B1-BUILD-01 In this example, I have ALT_JAVAHOME set to the javasrc/build, just above the genunix/ target directory. You should be able to set ALTMOTIF_DIR to where you've installed Lesstif.

Note: you ought to have ALT_BOOTDIR set to a running JDK 1.1, and I build with CLASSPATH and JAVA_HOME unset. Can I Try Builds of the Latest JDK Port in Development?

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