Using Java 1.5 stuff

Engines, Libraries and Tools Xith3D Forums
#1

We all love enums and generics, don’t we? (If just my fav IDE would already support them!)

Anyway, on the JDK 1.5’s enum doc it says some nice old truths like: typesafe, namespace, etc.
Naturally I see many occasions we could use this (+ generics) in the Xith3d API, and of course also in the JOGL API for example.

I bet I am not the only one who regularly inputs the wrong ints (out of 1000 possible ones) to the methods. I guess it’s high time that this one


 Texture.setMagFilter(Texture.LUMINANCE)

… results in a compiler error instead of runtime weirdness. :slight_smile:

So is there a road map already?

#2

I agree with you there - it’s always good to trade a logic error for a compiler one!

Some of the newer options such as RenderOptions/Option and View->CameraType are already using enums.

I don’t believe we should drop JDK 1.4.2 support lightly, which is not to say we can’t use the concept (we just can’t use the keyword).

Any change would introduce further Java3D compatabilities, although I am not sure how important this is anymore anyway.

Will.

#3

1.4 == Mac support for the foreseeable future! Don’t do it just yet. When the Mac’s up to 1.5, there’s no looking back though.

Cas :slight_smile:

#4

Some TeamBorland member wrote that JBuilder 2005 can compile a Java 1.5 source code to Java 1.4, but I don’t know if it’s doing something comparable do Toby’s tool some time ago.

#5

Been lurking around here for awhile, but this time I have to post! :slight_smile: Don’t brake the mac compatibility, please. This is the only option for reasonable scenegraph API, as the other projects are not performing that well, been stopped (Java3D) or depending on renderers that have major challanges in running on osx (jME/lwjgl). I was very happy to find out that the Jogl/xith3d combination works pretty ok and would like to stick to it. :slight_smile:

So keep up the good work!

#6

Indeed, the only reason we’re looking into Xith is due to the Mac compatibility, a fundamental requirement for our target audience (ie, educational, which is still highly Macintosh dependent). We’re using our own 3D engine based on LWJGL 0.7, but looking to stop reinventing the wheel and focus on application rather than foundation.

I worked with the jME team for about a week, determined their fundamental incompatibility with Macintosh (their dependence on AWT), rewrote some of their demos to avoid using AWT which then worked fine on the Mac… came back a few months later and it doesn’t seem that any of it stuck, because they’re all broken, even the ones I fixed and uploaded for inclusion in the CVS.

#7

I’m coding on and for Macs too so I agree with the comments in this thread on keeping 1.4.2 compatability for now.

Will.

#8

Hey guys,

This is a nonsense discussion. We can upgrade the codebase to JDK 1.5 immediately and use RetroWeaver (http://retroweaver.sourceforge.net/) to convert the classes to JDK 1.4 for Mac and other operating systems.

#9

[quote]We can upgrade the codebase to JDK 1.5 immediately and use RetroWeaver (http://retroweaver.sourceforge.net/) to convert the classes to JDK 1.4 for Mac and other operating systems.
[/quote]
Except you cannot use any of new methods or classes - so you end up with writing a system in mixed environment, and having to remember to check every method if it is not marked ‘since 1.5’. This can be painful for projects with more than one programmer. I would rather prefer to stick to 1.4.2 and do not make a mistake of designing part of code around new 1.5 library method.

#10

[quote]having to remember to check every method if it is not marked ‘since 1.5’
[/quote]
Actually, Retroweaver will automatically warn you if you’re referencing a class, method, or field that only exists in 1.5. The integrated Ant task has an option to cause the build to fail if that occurs.

God bless,
-Toby Reyelts

#11

I don’t wanna put pressure on anybody, but I wanted to commit arne’s picking classes to the toolkit (I needed them so I thought It was good to commit them to the tk) and I just realized Xith was still Java 1.4 ! I just won’t take time to convert it to 1.4, as I don’t have time to, but a switch would make me commit that. It’s just a pain that we can’t use generics…

#12

I’m for a switch to 1.5.

but better vote :wink: :http://www.java-gaming.org/forums/index.php?topic=13286.0