VASSAL not compatible with java v9?

[jrv]

I am getting an error which this (http://www.vassalengine.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10196) suggests is due to VASSAL not being compatible with java v9. Is that correct?

JR

 

[DougRim]

I don't know the answer to your question but I did try to use java v9 with vassal/vasl several months ago and could not get it to work either.

 

[jrv]

I found a way to switch back to java 8: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/39111269/how-can-i-have-multiple-versions-of-the-java-jdk-installed-on-my-machine-at-the . One post suggests using "sudo update-alternatives --config java", which did switch me back to version 8. It looks as though 3.2.17 VASSAL is thoroughly incompatible with version 9 java.

JR

 

[SLAKslayer]

Just found this thread on VASSAL not working with new versions of java (while trying to get VASSAL working on the latest opensuse) and ive got the same problem.

I tried the java archive and the oldest version they currently show is a java9 so I guess no linux VASL for me. :-(

Tried submitting a vassal bug about it but their bug reporter doesnt work. Check the forums and they seem to know about it for years but it isnt in the docs. sigh throws hands up and goes off to play something else

 

[Pacman Ghost]

I tried the java archive and the oldest version they currently show is a java9 so I guess no linux VASL for me. :-(

java.com is still showing Java 8.

Although I use a portable installation of Java. I think this thing of it downloading the Java installer is recent, there might be a way of doing a proper offline, portable install but it might involve a bit of stuffing around :-/

Check the forums and they seem to know about it for years but it isnt in the docs.

I agree, don't get me started :-/

 

[uckelman]

Tried submitting a vassal bug about it but their bug reporter doesnt work. Check the forums and they seem to know about it for years but it isnt in the docs. sigh throws hands up and goes off to play something else

Knowing about it and having time to do anything about it aren't the same.

I was working on upgrading to to Java 9 last week and ran into the problem that they eliminated the sound interface we use without providing any obvious replacement. If not for that, we could do a test release.

 

[Pacman Ghost]

Knowing about it and having time to do anything about it aren't the same.

He's talking about documenting the problem.

It's understood that you guys work on this in your spare time, for free, and the work y'all do is very much appreciated, but it would only take a few minutes to update the download page to say "requires Java 8". How many people have wasted how much time trying to get it work with Java 9 or higher (which nowadays seems to be pretty much everyone, since the LTS's seem to be upgrading)?

You and I are techies and can diagnose these kind of problems, but for most people, it's simply incomprehensible and they're going to having an appalling initial experience with VASSAL and, as SLAKslayer did, just give up and walk away. All for want of adding a single sentence to a web page :-(

And, to be honest, even though I was eventually able to figure out what the problem was, I was still pretty annoyed at having wasted so much time figuring out what was wrong, when it had already been a known issue for well over a year beforehand.

EDIT: Actually, the download page says "requires Java 5 or later", so not only does it not mention the problem, it's actively misleading :-(

 

[zgrose]

Just found this thread on VASSAL not working with new versions of java (while trying to get VASSAL working on the latest opensuse) and ive got the same problem.

I tried the java archive and the oldest version they currently show is a java9 so I guess no linux VASL for me. :-(

Tried submitting a vassal bug about it but their bug reporter doesnt work. Check the forums and they seem to know about it for years but it isnt in the docs. sigh throws hands up and goes off to play something else

Did you try one of the resolutions listed in the forums?

-> Java 9 and Java 11 work for me on Linux after I remove lib/xercesImpl.jar.

vassalengine.org • View topic - VASSAL doesn't seem to work with Java 9 version

www.vassalengine.org

You can also try your hand at some of the options in here:

Probably a stupid prerequisite problem (VASSAL won't start)

On the VASSAL forum, I evoked the problem. Up to now the answers are : - VASSAL won't adapt to Java 9 - You must run both versions of Java - You must switch to Linux This is quite a bad news for all people who are not programming geeks. I would readily pay for a VASSAL engine which adapted to...

www.gamesquad.com

Since you're using LINUX, making some library tweaks should be a cake.

 

[jrv]

Just found this thread on VASSAL not working with new versions of java (while trying to get VASSAL working on the latest opensuse) and ive got the same problem.

I tried the java archive and the oldest version they currently show is a java9 so I guess no linux VASL for me. :-(

Tried submitting a vassal bug about it but their bug reporter doesnt work. Check the forums and they seem to know about it for years but it isnt in the docs. sigh throws hands up and goes off to play something else

The debian testing repository has openjdk-8-jdk to openjdk-13-jdk as well as openjdk-8-jre to openjdk-13-jre. I don't know what distro of linux you are using, but you might search for openjdk in your package software. debian uses apt, and I generally use synaptic over apt unless I am doing something synaptic doesn't do the way I want to do it. Your distro's package management software may be different. You can also install java directly from java.com, but I prefer using the standard package software unless I have no alternative. That way I get updates with all the other software.

As I wrote upstream, I use update-alternatives to keep on version 8. Since the only think I use java for is vasl/vassal, I suppose I could just remove the other versions. I just haven't.

JR

 

[von Marwitz]

I am using an offline installation of JAVA8 build 221 (32bit) which works.

Just some guesswork:
Could it be that some JAVA issues could (also) be related of VASSAL/VASL requiring a 32bit version?
If that is the case, then you are stuck with JAVA8. At least I think that there are no 32bit versions of JAVA 9 and 10 - or that JAVA 9 / 10 are not compatible with VASSAL/VASL.

von Marwitz

 

[jrv]

I am using an offline installation of JAVA8 build 221 (32bit) which works.

Just some guesswork:
Could it be that some JAVA issues could (also) be related of VASSAL/VASL requiring a 32bit version?
If that is the case, then you are stuck with JAVA8. At least I think that there are no 32bit versions of JAVA 9 and 10 - or that JAVA 9 / 10 are not compatible with VASSAL/VASL.

Up thread it was said that the problem is due to a formerly-optional library (xercesImpl.jar) has become part of standard java. The program gets confused when it tries to load xercesImpl.jar because the classes in it are already loaded. That STUNs it. I just removed (renamed) xercesImpl.jar from my latest vassal installation, installed java 13 and switched to it. Everything runs fine. If I restore it, vassal crashes as above. My openjdk java is 64-bit.

The good news is that I can now delete all those old versions of java.

JR

 

[Gordon]

Up thread it was said that the problem is due to a formerly-optional library (xercesImpl.jar) has become part of standard java. The program gets confused when it tries to load xercesImpl.jar because the classes in it are already loaded. That STUNs it. I just removed (renamed) xercesImpl.jar from my latest vassal installation, installed java 13 and switched to it. Everything runs fine. If I restore it, vassal crashes as above. My openjdk java is 64-bit.

The good news is that I can now delete all those old versions of java.

JR

At least the STUN didn't result in recall.

 

[jrv]

At least the STUN didn't result in recall.

My memory was not good when I was young. Now you could hit me over the head with a shovel and I wouldn't remember. Recall is not an option.

JR

 

[uckelman]

I've been banging my head against the wall for a few weeks now to have a test build working with a version of Java newer than Java 8. Just a few minutes ago I solved the last major issue I know of, which was working around the fact that the classes we use to play sound were deprecated and then removed after Java 8.

Expect a test build sometime this week.

 

[zgrose]

I've been banging my head against the wall for a few weeks now to have a test build working with a version of Java newer than Java 8. Just a few minutes ago I solved the last major issue I know of, which was working around the fact that the classes we use to play sound were deprecated and then removed after Java 8.

Expect a test build sometime this week.

Are we shooting for OpenJDK 12?

 

[Will Fleming]

Well, this is some good news. I hope this frees up the creative types to take advantages of the underlying updates to Java/etc.

Looking forward to it and happy to help test (by playing).

 

[uckelman]

Test build:

http://vassalengine.sourceforge.net/builds/

3.2.18-svn9251 is compiled with Java 11 to work with Java 9 or later. It WILL NOT work with anything less than Java 9.

Please give this build a try and let me know what you find.

 

[zgrose]

Have not fully troubleshot yet, but com.apple.eawt.* may not be a thing anymore. Testing with Oracle's JDK 12.0.2 for OSX.

 

[uckelman]

Have not fully troubleshot yet, but com.apple.eawt.* may not be a thing anymore. Testing with Oracle's JDK 12.0.2 for OSX.

Oh gods, they didn't drop com.apple.eawt, did they? I'd like to see what you're getting for error messages.

 

[zgrose]

Oh gods, they didn't drop com.apple.eawt, did they? I'd like to see what you're getting for error messages.

ClassNotFound. I’ll post a fuller finding in the morning.