Java installation question!

titaniumx3 · 25 Jul 2006 at 14:43

Hi !

I hope this isn't silly question, but if I install "Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 5.0 Update 7" and "Java SE Development Kit (JDK) Update 7", would I need the previous update installations or should I uninstall them?

Thanks!

MarcLister · 25 Jul 2006 at 14:53

No you don't need the previous installs. You can delete them and then install the latest Java version.

If you are going to install the JDK (development kit) you don't need to install the JRE (runtimes) seperately. The JDK installs the JRE for you.

See here, partway down the page you can see the following text:

"The Java SE Development Kit (JDK) includes:

the Java Runtime Environment (JRE)
command-line development tools, such as compilers and debuggers, that are necessary or useful for developing applets and applications"

titaniumx3 · 25 Jul 2006 at 15:05

Thanks for the reply!

I currently have these installed:

Just to make sure, should I remove all of these and then just install the "JDK 5.0 Update 7"?

MarcLister · 25 Jul 2006 at 15:07

Yeah you can remove them and then install the latest Java. I sometimes don't do this, I just install the latest version and then find the Java folder on my C: drive and just delete the folders with the old versions in. Nothing bad happens to my PC when I do this.

It just depends whether you want to remove all previous versions and then install or install and then manually delete the old versions. You choose either way.

titaniumx3 · 25 Jul 2006 at 15:15

LOL, I install a lot these things and most of the times they're of no use or duplicates. Deleting the folders would be a lot more convenient, but wouldn't windows still think the programs are still installed?

MrWhippy · 25 Jul 2006 at 22:05

titaniumx3 said:
LOL, I install a lot these things and most of the times they're of no use or duplicates. Deleting the folders would be a lot more convenient, but wouldn't windows still think the programs are still installed?

windows couldn't give a monkeys about old versions of the java runtime.

the only time it matters is when you try and execute some java prog and then it needs to find the runtime, which it will do by looking on the PATH. it hardly matters if the PATH also points to some earlier directories that no longer hold the runtime. with the latest version installed, the java runtime from that version will be found on the PATH.