Java?

[radiocycle]

Hey all,

Is anyone using Java on their N7?  Did you simply install the latest version or is there a certain one that works best?

Thanks,

radio

[JayJ]

In what way radio?

Java is a language code that allot of apps are written in.

[radiocycle]

Well I tried to look at a site and the little 'puzzle piece' came up and said 'missing plug-in' so I figured maybe Java has to be downloaded on an N7 or something... guess not so.

r

[JayJ]

That usually means Flash is missing, what browser are you using and have you side loaded Flash?

[radiocycle]

Ah! Just using Chrome and no, I haven't bothered to load Flash. 

r

[JayJ]

That site uses Flash rather than HTML5 so if you want to view it try sideloading Flash and use a Flash compatible browser like xScope or I think Firefox works?

[radiocycle]

Hmm, when I look at FF in Google Play it tells me that, "   Asus Nexus 7
This item is not compatible with your device."  What's up widdat??? I see a bunch of reviewers saying that, to date, there is no 'stable' version of FireFox for the Nexus 7.  Guess I'll have to look at other browsers...

[radiocycle]

Hey Jay,  Just picked up eScope and it looks good!  Still new and haven't really tried it out a lot but I dig the overall look of it, thanks!

radio

[JayJ]

Yeah you have to sideload a modded Flash because Adobe unannounced that after Android 4.0.x (Ice Cream Sandwich) they would no longer support any further iterations of Android.
This is because the web is moving towards HTML5 which Chrome supports, websites like YouTube are already using HTML5 and more will follow.

xScope Pro is a good choice radio, not only does it guide you on installing the modded Flash but it's an awesome browser that I have been using for a couple years now. I tend to use xScope for desktop sites and Chrome for mobile sites, you can select desktop sites in the settings of xScope Pro.

[pduffer]

Firefox doesn't support flash.  I use an older version of Dolphin for flash sites - just have to be careful not to allow updates to install as updated doesn't support flash.  Will also be checking out xScope.

[bob7794]

What does "side load" mean?

[JayJ]

What does "side load" mean?

To sideload an app is to manually install the app from your PC, cloud storage or your SD Card rather than the market.
Place the apk (app install file) on your internal memory (SD Card), use a file manager or app installer to find that apk and clicking it will initiate the installer and the pop will be installed or sideloaded.

[radiocycle]

Well, just to add to my original question, I found this post, (emphasis mine):


Best answer

buwish wrote :

From what I gather, Android already has Java in the sense that it was included in the original code for Android OS:

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9205902/Google_copied_Java_in_Android_expert_says


Way to fall for and perpetuate that propaganda from the pro-Apple media. That story was completely irresponsible and without merit.

For an actual answer to the OP's question, no Android does not "have" Java. It runs on an underlying Virtual Machine Google named Dalvik, which is similar to Java, but executes code differently.

What this means is Android does not natively run Java code (and barring a major sea change it never will officially. There have been some efforts in the non-official Android dev community to integate true Java into Android).

So if you're thinking can I drop my Java games on there and will they work, the answer is no. The same is true for websites that use Java code, they will not run on Android browser. There is a lot of marketing form Android-equipped device manufacturers about providing a "full" web experience because of Android's Flash support, but that ignores the Java issue. IMO until these mobile OS'es can support the full web as-is no code changes, no need to re-jigger the content to the platform by the content providers, they can never be computer replacements.

BTW, there is a tool from Google which lets you recompile Java code into Dalvik friendly files. I used it to get a Java chat client running on an Android phone.