Installing Java 1.5 on Mac OS 10.4 (Tiger) For COMPU 142 Students

1. First, you will want to double check that Java 1.5.0 is not already installed on your computer. Navigate to /Applications/Utilities/Java/ and look for a folder named "J2SE 5.0". If this folder is here, then the it is already installed on your computer. It may not be set up, so you should skip to step 3 in order to check this.
   
   
2. If the folder is not there, then you must get the Java 2 SE 5.0 Release 1 download from Apple's Website. Once downloaded, double-click the "J2SE50Release1.dmg" disk image file in order to mount the disk on the Desktop. Open this mounted disk, and double-click the installer package. Follow the instructions in order to complete the installation. NOTE: You must be an administrator user of the computer in order to install this, as with most software.
   
   
3. Once you have determined that Java 1.5.0 has been installed on your computer, again navigate to /Applications/Utilities/Java/. You should now see the "J2SE 5.0" folder located here. If it is not, then the installation may have failed. See the troubleshooting section for help.
   
   
4. Located in the J2SE 5.0 folder there is an application called "Java Preferences" – launch this application. You should see a drop-down menu with the label "Use version" on the main window that is shown. If it says "J2SE 1.4.2", click and change it to "J2SE 1.5" then click the Save button in the bottom right-hand corner of the window. You can now close this window. NOTE: You may have to be logged in as an administrator user in order to make this change, I have not tested it without already being logged in as administrator.
   
   
5. In the /Applications/Utilities/ folder, launch Terminal. At the command prompt, enter:
   
   java -showversion
   
   You should see text scroll across the screen describing the java command, look for the line:
   
   java version "1.5.0_05"
   
   You may need to scroll back up to where you entered the command initially in the Terminal, as it will appear right below the prompt. If it does not say 1.5.0 then you will have to change it manually using the terminal and continue on to step 6. Otherwise you're good to go, and the java, javac, and javadoc commands will work as normal.
   
   
6. If you are at this step, remain in Terminal. At the command prompt enter the following:
   
   cd /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions
   sudo mv CurrentJDK CurrentJDK-old
   --(you will be prompted for an administrator password, enter it.)
   sudo ln -s 1.5.0 CurrentJDK
   --(you may again be prompted for your password, enter it if needed.)
   
   You should be good to go now. Try running a java -showversion command again to double-check. If this does not work, see the troubleshooting section.
   
   

Troubleshooting

Currently under constructions. You can email questions to Phyllis Topham and have her forward them to me (Robert Bartlett-Schneider) and I'll see what I can do to help if something went wrong during the installation process. A screencap goes a long way for error messages if you're getting one. Command + Shift + 4 will allow you to take screenshots of a small region on your screen rather than the entire thing (in order to reduce file size).