Repeated JRE installation dialog when updating gettext

[bruce@…]

When updating gettext on a Mac (10.10.4, but I'm sure it's been an issue for several versions now) without Java installed, the user is prompted a few times with an apparently parentless GUI dialog to install the JRE. The dialog says, "To view this web content, you need to install the Java Runtime Environment." with "More Info..." and "OK" buttons.

This is a bit disconcerting the first time you encounter it, as you are probably off doing something else and it's not obvious what has triggered the behavior.

On IRC it was suggested that this is probably triggered by configure script checking whether Java is present for auto-installation of Java-related components. It was also suggested that perhaps creating a +java variant would help to eliminate these dialogs. That sounds like a good idea to me, but I'm no expert.

[geekosaur]

Specifically: currently the Portfile does --disable-native-java which prevents it from building Java libraries to native code using gcj. This does not prevent use of a JVM, however; that would be --disable-java. I suggested adding that to the configure options and then providing a +java variant to remove it from the configure options for those who do want gettext available from Java.

[mf2k (Frank Schima)]

In the future, please Cc the port maintainers (port info --maintainers gettext), if any.

[davalpi@…]

I want to add the description of this defect as I get a slightly different but more informative parentless dialog.

I'm on current OSX (10.11.1 El Capitan ) and current XCode (xcodebuild -version -> Xcode 7.1 Build version 7B91b).

I do not have any JDK installed (I do not want one) but I have installed some latest JRE (jre-8u65-macosx-x64.dmg) from Oracle.

I clear all before installing as : sudo port -f uninstall installed ; sudo rm -rf /opt/local/var/macports/build/*

When I try to instal gettext I get a parentless GUI dialog that say something like (I'm translating from italian here) : 'To use the command line tool "javac" you have to install an JDK" .

This dialog offer a "More Information..." button that open my browser to ​http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html that's the Oracle page to download JDKs /JREs.

I get the same dialog when I try to run javac from terminal:

$ javac ; echo Exit Status : $?
No Java runtime present, requesting install.
Exit Status : 1
$ which javac
/usr/bin/javac

Apparently the error is reported but at the same time it trigger this parentless dialog to guide user towards JDK installation procedure.

Another silly thing is that on El Capitan (10.11.1) I have this :

$ ll /usr/bin/java*
lrwxr-xr-x  1 root  wheel  74  1 Ott 14:36 /usr/bin/java -> /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/Current/Commands/java
lrwxr-xr-x  1 root  wheel  75  1 Ott 14:36 /usr/bin/javac -> /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/Current/Commands/javac
lrwxr-xr-x  1 root  wheel  77  1 Ott 14:36 /usr/bin/javadoc -> /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/Current/Commands/javadoc
lrwxr-xr-x  1 root  wheel  75  1 Ott 14:36 /usr/bin/javah -> /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/Current/Commands/javah
lrwxr-xr-x  1 root  wheel  75  1 Ott 14:36 /usr/bin/javap -> /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/Current/Commands/javap
lrwxr-xr-x  1 root  wheel  76  1 Ott 14:36 /usr/bin/javaws -> /System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/Current/Commands/javaws

My educated guest is that JRE installer (jre-8u65-macosx-x64.dmg) setup all this to "stimulate" users toward JDK installation and if this is true for all ppl, this is something to keep in mind.

I hope my observation helps. If this is the wrong place to report things like this, I apologize in advance and I wait for better directions.

[davalpi@…]

Another behavior I've observed while installing a fairly complex port (it was wine) is that get this parentless GUI dialog 'To use the command line tool "javac" you have to install an JDK' over and over again.

I try to write down which ports stimulate the dialog while the installation proceeds and I have observed (dynamically) this same behavior on this ports:

• gettext
• clang
• cmanke
• bison

(this is a partial list).

My setup is : OSX (10.11.1 El Capitan ) and current XCode (xcodebuild -version -> Xcode 7.1 Build version 7B91b) - I do not have any JDK installed (I do not want one) but I have installed some latest JRE (jre-8u65-macosx-x64.dmg) from Oracle.

There is at least a related ticket about gettext (#49077), but I suspect a more generalized behavior.

I hope my observation helps but I dont know if is the case to CC: other port maintainers or not.

[cssdev]

Cc Me!

[rben01 (Robert)]

Any updates on this? This is still happening today, three years later.

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

I agree that it should be fixed, but I have not attempted to do so.

[ryandesign (Ryan Carsten Schmidt)]

In bc14fab6bb3f642b867b90c0481e3f7449177d18/macports-ports (master):

gettext: Don't use Java

Closes: #48651
Closes: #49077