Java SE 6 for Leopard?

[macuser256]

I'm currently taking a Computer science class that requires Java, Eclipse and Ambient. Now I went to the link provided by the professor and when I tried to install Java SE 6 (Release 1) it said it could only be installed on 10.4. Is there anything I can do to get what I need for the class to run under leopard or am I going to have to reboot into windows every morning before class (thank god for boot camp)?

[ghoti]

Do you really need Java 6? In most cases, Java 5 should be sufficient. I've seen rumors that Java 6 will be part of 10.5.1, but there are no guarantees. It's kind of expected though, since that version has been around for at least a year now.

[Brad]

I went through the same trouble with Java 5 a few years ago when Apple hadn't released its own version yet. I was taking a CS class that required Java 5 because we were using some of its new features.

You may have to suffer as I and many other Mac developers did. "Tough cookies" is about the only kind of response you can expect to get from Apple until it decides it's ready.

The only solution for me was to simply not use my Mac for compiling and running my Java apps.

[Enki]

Java 6 has VERY few new API features. It is almost entirely a under the hood performance rewrite. I would be very surprised if any coursework would be so specific as to ferret out a new corner in Java 6.

[ghoti]

Exactly. Java 5 was a huge step with generics, the new for loop, autoboxing, varargs, etc. Java 6 just makes stuff faster, tweaks the UI, etc. So you should be fine with Java 5.