Macintosh : Java Glossary

The Mac computer was named after the popular McIntosh variety of apple tree. However, presumably for legal reasons, Apple deliberately misspelled the name as Macintosh. If you “correct” the spelling to McIntosh (the tree and also a stereo component maker) or Mackintosh (the toffee maker), Mac users will treat you as if you had defecated on the floor, ditto if you abbreviate its name to MAC instead of Mac.

The original Macs used the Motorola 68000 series of CPUs. Then Apple switched to using the IBM PowerPC RISC CPU. All the currently manufactured Macintoshes now use Intel CPUs, the same as used in Windows and Linux/Ubuntu machines.

Unfortunately, the Power PC Mac (OS X 10.4.11) does not support version 1.6 of Java, just 1.5. Version 1.6 is available only for the new 64-bit Intel-based Macs running Leopard (OS X 10.5). Snow Leopard is the preview of the next release of OS X. Apple supplies the JVM, not Sun. Last revised: 2008-08-20

Java Platform Independence

The default environment for apps run from Finder or LaunchServices includes the variables HOME, SHELL, PATH, TMPDIR, USER, and LOGNAME, along with a few that appear to be specific to Apple’s JAR launcher. Apps launched from a shell inherit the shell's environment, as usual.

To account of the different ways to request a menu popup, MouseEvent. isPopoupTrigger() will occur when somebody right clicks on a PC mouse or presses the single Mac mouse button with the control key down.

Modern Macs use \n as the line terminator, a sign of its BSD Unix heritage. Legacy Mac software may use \r or even Windows-style \r\n. So long as you use Java’s platform-independent tools for line separator, you should be ok.

static String fileSeparatorChar = File.separatorChar;
static String lineSeparator = System.getProperty ( "line.separator" );
static String nameSeparator = File.separator; /* always 1 long */
static String nameSeparatorChar = File.separatorChar;
static char pathSeparatorChar = File.pathSeparatorChar;

The version of Java used to run apps can be changed from the Java Preferences, which is in /Applications/Utilities/Java. The section for “Java Application Runtime Settings” applies to Java applications, JNLP (Webstart) apps, and applets launched via Webstart. It also changes the default compiler version and JRE libraries used at compilation

The Apple JDK and Java Runtime includes libraries for interfacing with some of the OS, including QuickTime and parts of the NSApplication framework. The Application class in combination with OS X-specific packaging (Bundles, with an Info.plist file, documented in the FAQ) can make Java apps act very much like native apps. Apple also maintains a FAQ for Java on the Mac Platform at which includes items on using the NSApplication pieces portably.

Command Line

Apps launched via Finder or LaunchServices will have standard output and standard error written to /var/log/system.log, viewable in the Console application. Apps launched from a shell have standard input, output, and error connected to the shell, as usual. It is not possible to view the Applet log unless there is an error.

Keyboard Layout

Keyboard Notes

Macintosh keys
Key Legend	Function	Notes
esc	Escape
tab ⇥	Tab
caps lock ⇪	Capslock
shift ⇧	Shift
control ^	Control	In Java, depending on the look & feel selected, the control key might be used for copy/paste instead of the command key. Like the PC Ctrl key.
alt option	Option	aka Alt, Alternative. The option entity ⌥ ⌥ is not well supported.
	Apple symbol	Apple entity is   or   Only supported in Mac fonts.
⌘	Command	aka open Apple, clover. Used for copy/paste. The four lobed clover entity (officially called a place of interest sign) is ⌘
blank	Space	long unlabeled bar
return ⏎	Return	Like Enter on the PC
delete	Delete back	delete chars to the left, like PC Backspace
delete	Delete forward	delete chars to the right, like PC Del. The delete forward entity ⌦ ⌦ is not well supported.
help ◯	Help
home ⇱	Home
end ⇲	End
page up	PageUp
page down	PageDown
↑	Up arrow
↓	Down arrow
←	Left arrow
→	Right arrow
clear	Clear