To help you find the information you want about the Java Developer
ConnectionSM (JDC), questions and answers
are categorized as follows.
JDC membership gives you access to certain areas that are restricted to members
only. As a JDC member, you can:
Receive discounts on training classes from Sun Educational Service
Membership also entitles you to a subscription (if you choose) to the JDC Newsletter, JDC Tech Tips, and occasional JDC Bulletins, to help you keep abreast of what's happening in the industry.
To join the JDC and register as a JDC member, click on the
"Register,
it's free!" link near the top of the JDC Home Page. You will
be asked to choose a user ID and a password. As soon as you complete and
submit the registration form, you will be registered as a JDC member.
There is no membership fee for the JDC. However, the JDC does require that
users who want access to this restricted information provide some
basic information about themselves. The restricted areas of the JDC include
the Bug Database, Early Access downloads, and Community Discussions (such
as Office Hours and Java Live). Restricted areas are marked with a special
graphic:
.
When you register, you set up your own User ID and password. Each time you
log into a restricted areas, you will be asked for your User ID and
password. Or, if you are using a secure machine, you can use the
automatic-login function.
When you participate in forum discussions, your User ID will be your
identifier. The information you provide might be used by Sun
MicrosystemsTM for statistical purposes only, but not for any
other purposes.
If you've bookmarked a JDC restricted access page and if you have
Automatic Login enabled, you can log in using your bookmark.
Click on the
Change
Automatic Login at the top of the JDC Home Page.
You can change your account information by clicking the
Update
your account link near the top of the JDC Home Page. This takes you
to the JDC Registration page, where you can change your account
information.
If you've forgotten your User ID, then send email to the
JDC Webmaster with your full email
address.
If you know your User ID,
click here to
retrieve your password.
If you do not know your e-mail address please send an e-mail to
jdc-webmaster@java.sun.com. List all of the possible e-mail
addresses you might have used when you registered.
First, clear your cache.
Netscape users please follow these steps - Select Edit - Preferences -
Advanced - Cache - Clear Disk Cache, Clear Memory Cache and click OK.
Next, make sure your browser is enabled for cookies.
To access the JDC you need to have cookies enabled. All browsers are
configured a little differently, so check your browser's menu options for
enabling cookies and follow your browser's procedures.
NOTE: See "Cookies" for
more information about cookies and why the JDC uses them.
1 - Go to the URL http://developer.java.sun.com/
2 - Clear the location bar and enter javascript:alert(document.cookie)
Right now, the JDC has no alternative authentication method for those of
you who prefer not to accept browser cookies. Currently, the technology
is such that if you do not accept the cookie, you will not be able to
use the restricted areas.
Subscribe/Unsubscribe
- How do I subscribe to the JDC Newsletter and JDC Tech Tips?
- I'd like my name to be removed from the JDC mailing
list. How do I make that happen?
If you're a JDC member, you can subscribe to one or more JDC newsletters,
such as the JDC Newsletter, JDC Tech Tips, or JDC Bulletin. To subscribe,
select the "Subscribe to free JDC newsletters" link on the JDC front page,
or click the Subscribe button. This displays a Subscriptions page, where you
select specific newsletters for subscription.
Go to the Subscriptions page and unselect
all currently selected newsletters.
Cookies
- What are cookies and why does the JDC use them?
- What do cookies have to do with logging in to the JDC?
- What does the JDC do with cookies?
- What if I don't want to accept a cookie?
A "cookie" is a small string of text that contains your JDC user
name, a session ID, and other information related to accessing the site.
There are two types of cookies: a session cookie, and an automatic-login
cookie.
When you log into the JDC, your browser will be asked to save a cookie. JDC
uses the cookie to authenticate membership. Only individuals with a valid
cookie in their browser can access restricted sites on the JDC.
If you try to enter a restricted area and you don't have a cookie, you will
be sent to the Login page. The cookie contains a session ID number, but not
your User ID or password, so no one else can examine your cookie and log into
the JDC as you. The session cookie is temporary and disappears when your
session ends.
If you enable Automatic Login, the browser saves the automatic-login cookie
to your system, so you can reenter JDC restricted areas from that system as
long as that cookie exists. If you disable Automatic Login, that cookie
also disappears.
To access the JDC you need to have cookies enabled. All browsers are
configured a little differently, so check your browser's menu options for
enabling cookies and follow your browser's procedures.
You also need to be sure your HTTP Proxy and firewall configuration is
not removing cookie information.
NOTE: If you are running any "cookie cutter" software, be sure it does not
remove the JDC cookies. If it removes your session cookie, your session will
terminate. If it removes your bookmark cookie, the bookmark will no longer
work.
JDC uses cookies for logging generic access data about which pages get the
most traffic. Typical web site logs, without cookie information, can tell
you, for instance, that a specific page was visited 100 times, but a site
administrator has only imprecise ways of telling if those 100 visits were
from one person requesting the page 100 times, or 100 people asking for the
page once each. Since login is no longer required for most of the JDC,
these statistics will now only be gathered from the restricted membership
pages. From the cookie information logged, the JDC can tell how many people
visit a page.
The purpose of collecting this data is only to verify that the person
logging in is entitled to do so. The cookies are not used to explore usage
patterns of individuals, nor will they ever be without your
explicit consent. Your cookie data will not be sold or otherwise
redistributed.
The intent is to create web-based tools and applications that help our
audience participate in the larger "community" of Java
programming language developers. The cookie information may be used, with
your explicit permission, as a means of fostering the Java community, for
example, to enable members to see who else is looking at a particular area
of the site; to exchange "business card" information; or to
participate in discussions or other types of interaction with like-minded
members.
Right now, the JDC has no alternative authentication method for those of
you who prefer not to accept browser cookies. Currently, the technology is
such that if you do not accept the cookie, you will not be able to use the
restricted areas.
Java Technology
- How do I get started with Java technology?
- How do I become certified as a Java programming language
developer?
- How do I get answers to my Java code questions?
- Where can I get product information?
- Where do I send feedback or questions?
- Can I get copies of the JDC applet source code?
For beginners, there's a starter kit that
can help you quickly learn how to write applets and applications. To access the
starter kit, click here.
For information regarding the Java Developer Certification program,
click here.
There are several ways to get answers to your questions about Java
programming code:
Information on specific products and APIs can be found on the
Products and APIs page.
To provide feedback or ask questions regarding specific products or APIs,
please use the aliases listed on the
Product and API Feedback page.
Currently the JDC does not provide the source code for its applets.
However, as we publish more technical articles about the inner workings of
the JDC, we will continue to include excerpts from our source code.
Bug Database
- If I find a new bug, how do I report it?
- I filed a bug report; why can't I find a bug that I submitted
in the Bug Database?
- I have a known bug ID; why can't I find the bug when I
search the database?
To file a bug, go to the Report
a Bug or Request a Feature page.
- Many bug requests are recieved, and each of them has to be screened and
reviewed before it can be included in the Bug Database. Not all bugs submitted
do end up in the database.
- Some bugs don't show up in the database for some time because of delays in
processing.
- Some bugs are not included in the Bug Database for security reasons.
- In the process of verifying and entering your bug report into the Bug
Database, some words or phrases may have been changed to more accurately
describe the problem.
Some bugs are not included in the Bug Database for security reasons.
Site Problems
- Why are the applets not working for me?
- How do I report a broken link?
This usually depends on whether or not you are behind a firewall. If you
are behind a firewall, contact your system administrator to configure your
DNS setup to enable applets to get through your firewall.
Send email to the JDC
webmaster with the link and the URL of the page where the link is
located.
Community Discussion Forums
- What are Community Discussion Forums?
- How do I locate the forums?
- How can I tell if I am logged in?
- How do I read the message board?
- How do I read and watch for messages?
- How do I watch for messages by a particular author?
- How do I view author profiles?
- How do I view and maintain my profile?
- How do I reply to a message?
- How do I post to a topic?
- How do I start a discussion?
- Can I cross-post to different message boards??
- How do I view new topics/messages?
- Can I remove a message I have posted?
- If I post a message, will I receive unwanted messages (spam)?
- How do I use the forum search engine?
- What are Duke Dollars?
Community Discussion Forums (forums) are an interactive area on the
JDC where the Java developer community can share knowledge by posting
messages to a message board. Messages on the message board are organized
by technology area, cover all aspects of Java development, and include
JDC member thoughts, opinions, questions, answers, and technical tips.
In short, each technology area on the message board provides a forum for
lively discussion in any and all areas of interest to developers.
Go to the Forums page and choose a
technology area that interests you from the shortcut selector near the top
or the Choose By Category
listing in the body of the page, or use the
forums search engine on the right. These locator features
help you find messages and message topics pertaining to your technology
area of interest.
You can read through the topics and messages all you want, but to post
or reply to a message, you have to be a
registered JDC member and logged in.
The top-left corner of the forums pages display a welcome message with your
name if you are logged in. If you are not logged in, you see a login prompt
instead. If you are not logged in and attempt to post or reply to a message,
you are prompted to log in. You have to be a
registered JDC member to have a login user name and password.
Each technology area has a message board that lists message topics
for that area. You can reach the message board for a particular
topic by using the shortcut selector or Choose By Category
locators on the Forums page. The header bar at the top of the message
board provides information and functionality to help you navigate the
topic and message information on the board. Message topics are presented
below the header bar in a columnar format with the newest message topics
at the top.
Header Bar:
The message board is divided into four areas that you can access with the
following tabs at the top of the header bar: Info, Members, Messages, and
My Watches.
The information and functionality available in the header
bar changes a little depending on which tab is active, but in general
it does the following:
- Displays the name of the technology area.
- Shows the number of topics in the message board list.
- Shows how many have participated in this discussion since
it was first created.
- Lets you send an email to invite a friend to this message
board.
- Lets you start a new topic on this message board.
- Notifies you when this message board is updated.
- Displays confirmation and informational messages in response to
actions you might take while using the message board such as
posting or replying to a message.
Messages tab:
When the Messages tab is active, the topics list is visible. Use the Right
and Left arrow keys to navigate the list, which can span a number of pages.
The pull-down menu lets you change the increment in which you move through
the topics on the message board. Click the left arrow to view more recent
topics, and the right arrow to view older topics.
Each topic entry shows the name of the topic, the date the topic was last
updated with a message, the number of replies, and the author who started
the discussion. Click on a discussion topic to view all the messages for
that topic. The following icons appear at the right of each topic:
| You have already read all the messages in this
topic. There is nothing new.
|
| This is an old topic, but it has some
new messages.
|
|
This is a completely new topic and you have
not read any of its messages yet.
|
Info tab:
When the Info tab is active, the header bar does not let you start a new
topic, and the body of the page welcomes and introduces you to the
message board.
Members tab:
When the Members tab is active, the header bar does not let you start a new
topic, and the body of the page presents a list of discussion forum member IDs.
Click on an ID to get more information about that member. If you have elected
to watch all posts by an individual author, the watch (!) icon appears next
to that member's name.
My Watch tab:
When the My Watches tab is active the header bar does not let you start a new
topic, and you see a list of topics you are watching. Whenever you post or
reply to a message, the topic for that message is added to this list. You
can add other topics to this list by clicking the topic link (with the Messages
tab active) and selecting the (!) Watch Topic
icon in the message header.
When any topic in this list receives updates, a star appears on the My Watches
tab. If you elect to watch all posts by an individual author,
all messages posted by that aurthor since activating the author watch appear in
this list.
After you choose a topic from the message board, you get a page with all
the messages for that topic. The header bar displays the topic, the number
of messages for the topic, and shows the most recent message. If you
click on the author's name and the Watch Author
icon, you can
watch all messages posted by the author or send the author an email.
The header bar has a Back to List of Topics
button so you can
navigate back to the message board, and three button on the right that
let you Watch Topic
, Ignore Topic
, and
Invite a Friend
to this topic. Below the message page header at the bottom of the page
are right and left arrows that let you navigate to the topics preceding
(left arrow) and following (right arrow) the current topic.
Ignore Topic:
Selecting the Ignore Topic
icon makes the topic invisible to the
meassage board list.
Watch Topic:
Selecting the (!) Watch Topic icon adds this topic to your My Watches
list. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to log in.
Because all topics you start or reply to are added to the My Watches
list, you would only use this icon to add this topic if you did not start or
reply to it. You can view the My Watches
list by selecting the
My Watches
tab on the message board for this topic. When this topic
receives new messages, a star appears on the My Watches
tab.
Stop Watching Topic:
After a topic is added to the My Watches
list, the
Watch Topic
icon in the header bar changes to a
Stop Watching Topic
icon. Click the Stop Watching
Topic
icon to remove this topic from your watch list.
Invite a Friend:
Selecting the Invite a Friend
icon lets you send an email to invite a
friend to participate in this topic discussion.
Email Me Updates:
Checking the Email Me Updates
box authorizes the forums
program to send you email when messages within this topic are updated.
You must be logged into the forums to see this option.
Click on the message topic of an author you would like to watch, select the
author link at the left of the message header, and select the Watch Author icon.
The watch (!
) icon appears next to the author's name in the
Members
tab, and all messages posted since activating the author
watch appear under the My Watches
tab.
You can view the profile for any author who has posted to the
Community Discussion Forums and allows his or her profile to be
viewed. To do this, click on the author's name anywhere you see
see it in the forums as a link. The author's profile page appears
with the author's profile information.
To view your profile, click on your name anywhere you see it in the forums
as a link. Your profile page appears with your profile information. To edit
these settings, select the Edit Settings
icon, and fill
in or change your author information as you wish. If you do not want
others to view your profile, uncheck the Show my profile
box on this page.
Every message has a Reply to this message
link at the top below
the author's name. Click this link and reply to the message. If
you are not logged in, you will be prompted to log in when you
select the Post Message Now
button.
You can include the original message, which appears as a Quoted Message
link in the body of your reply. When you finish composing your message,
click the Post Message Now
button to add your message to the
discussion.
To post a message to a topic, select the topic and scroll to the
bottom of the message page. If you are not logged in, you will be
prompted to log in when you select the Post Message Now button.
You can include the most recent message by clicking the Include Original
Message
button, and that message appears as a Quoted Message
link in the body of your post. When you finish composing your message,
click the Post Message Now
button to add your message to the discussion.
You start a new discussion by starting a new topic. To start a new
topic, choose the appropriate technology area by using the locators
on the Forums page to bring up the message board for that technology
area. Make sure the Messages
tab is selected for that
message board, click the Start a New Topic
icon in the
header bar, and compose the first message for the new topic by filling
in the subject and message body in the appropriate fields. Click the
Post Message Now
button to post the first message for the new
topic. If your post is successful, you get a confirmation message in the
topic header bar. Click Continue Reading
to return to the
message board for your topic.
You can now participate in popular Java-related usenet groups through
the JDC forums. The usenet groups are listed at the bottom-right of the
Forums page.
When you or someone else starts a new topic, the new topic/message is not
visible on the message board right away. It should appear after a few
minutes, but if it does not you can click the Reload
button
on your browser. If you might see a blinking notice on the header bar
alerting you to new messages, click it to update the message board with
new topics.
You cannot remove a message once it has been posted.
When you post a message it is sent to JDC and Usenet servers around
the world. Once it is sent to those servers, it cannot be deleted.
You should not receive unwanted messages (spam) because your email address is
spam shielded. Spam shielding prevents robots looking for user information
from pinging the forums and grabbing your email address.
Whenever you reply to a message, you see a notice in the By:
field after your user ID indicating that your identity is spam shielded.
There are two forum search engines: one on the forums page and one for
each message board.
Forums page search:
The search engine on the Forums page shown at left lets you locate messages
within one or more technology areas using one or more optional key words.
By default, the forums search engine searches all messages in all
technology areas.
- Click on as many technology areas as you want
- Enter one or more optional keywords to filter the messages
- Click
Search
You get a list of messages within the specified technology areas
that contain the keywords you enter. If you supply no keywords, all
messages within the specified technology areas are returned.
Message board search:
Every message board has a search engine for locating messages
within that message board. Enter one or more optional kewords to
refine the search to only those messages that contain the keyword(s).
If you supply no keywords, all messages within that message board
are returned.
Search results are displayed with the most recent message first.
The returned page lets you sort the messages, do an
Advanced Search, and provides online help.
Duke Dollars are the medium of exchange for an awards program within the JDC
Community Discussion Forums. If you create a new topic on one of the message
boards, you can award anywhere from 1 to 5 Duke Dollars for what you consider
to be the best reply.
You can award only one reply per topic you start, and you cannot award yourself.
Every month the person who earns the most Duke Dollars receives a small
prize from the JDC staff.