MRJ 2.2.3 Oracle Certified, Caches Java Archives

Apple has released Macintosh Runtime for Java 2.2.3, the latest version of its Java virtual machine for the Mac OS. MRJ 2.2.3 includes a number of bug fixes and performance improvements, reduces memory usage for Java applications that run for long periods of time, and offers better support for applets with double-byte file names. When using Microsoft Internet Explorer 5, MRJ 2.2.3 is Gold Certified for use with Oracle Applications 11i, and Bronze Certified when used with Oracle Developer 6i, which at least makes the Macintosh slightly less irrelevant in an Oracle-driven enterprise environment. MRJ 2.2.3 also intelligently caches Java archives (JAR files) which contain segments of code used by Java applications. MRJ 2.2.3 will keep Java archives on your local hard drive; when you re-launch the Java applications, MRJ will ask if the JAR files have been updated and only download newer versions; depending on the application, this might save you a lot of time re-starting Java programs. However, MRJ 2.2.3 still only supports Sun’s JDK 1.1.8 specification rather than the now-standard Java 2. MRJ 2.2.3 is a 4.7 MB download, and is also available via Mac OS 9’s Software Update control panel. MRJ 2.2.3 requires a PowerPC-based system with at least 40 MB of RAM running Mac OS 8.1 or better.