freebsddom and java's flaming hoops

[Tim Middleton]

In this frustrated moment, I find it a particularly bitter irony that that 
"Free BSD dom" banner flies atop on the Java 2 FreeBSD site... because after 
months of off and on attempting to get JDK 1.4 going on, there can be no less 
"free" feeling piece of software in the entire ports tree. Every time I think 
I've got eveyrthing needed and "make" i get another message, run into another 
problem, face another complication, have to wait for another patch, get set 
to click thorugh untold thousands of thousand licence agreements... go sign 
up for things... and on and on and on.

Even the little javascript "accept" page on the Java 2 on BSD site itself 
thwacks me. Yes, I have privoxy installed... and it took me a while to 
realise that that stupid form to grant me the great privilege of downloading 
a "patch set" (surely the most well guarded patchset in all of "Free BSD 
dom"!) simply will not work with my proxy enabled. I figured this out after 
having failed on Konqueror, failed with Mozilla. Tweaked settings. Failed 
some more. Fired up a windows box... finally resorting to IE which I never 
use and hence is not set up for proxy... and finaly got my patchset. And had 
to then transfer it back to the freebsd box, growling all the way. Who would 
have guessed that downloading a FreeBSD patchset could be so complicated? 

It's almost enough to make one entertain wild dreams of those Mono/C# dreamers 
actually somehow succeeding and gleefully rejoicing as java's smug little mug 
is smashed into so much historic dust. 

Do I overstate? Did I mention I'm a little frustrated? No offence intended to 
anyone personally... I am grateful for your hard work patching and whatnot. 
But I am ... frustrated with all this crap...

-- 
Tim Middleton | Cain Gang Ltd | Then suddenly, for no apparent reason, the
x at veX.net     | www.Vex.Net   | unpittying orchestra struck up a polka. -D