Java Web Start, Mac, and tXtFL
UPDATE: With the release of tXtFL 3.4, you can now try our alternative installer that will download, install, launch, and keep the software updated, all without requiring Java Web Start.
Java Web Start has been great for simplifying the download, install, and launch of tXtFL whether on Windows, Linux, or Mac platforms. Recently while testing on MacOS Mountain Lion, however, I noticed that the the tXtFL installer no longer worked. Apparently some complex changes in the way that Java 7 launches files on Mac via Java Web Start are keeping tXtFL off this lovely Lion. And once Java 7 has been installed, it's not straightforward to get back to Java 6. And if you decided just to stick with Java 6, now Mac will at some point turn off Java Web Start if it hasn't been used for awhile!
So where does that leave us if you're encountering this error on your new Mac for the holidays? One workaround is to use Java 6 by directly using it to launch tXtFL from the command line. Try entering this command from the Terminal, where txtfl.jnlp is the tXtFL launch file you downloaded from our website:
/System/Library/Java/Support/Deploy.bundle/Contents/MacOS/javaws txtfl.jnlp
In the meantime, I'll continue looking into alternative, more elegant solutions. Let me know if you have any suggestions!
Java Web Start has been great for simplifying the download, install, and launch of tXtFL whether on Windows, Linux, or Mac platforms. Recently while testing on MacOS Mountain Lion, however, I noticed that the the tXtFL installer no longer worked. Apparently some complex changes in the way that Java 7 launches files on Mac via Java Web Start are keeping tXtFL off this lovely Lion. And once Java 7 has been installed, it's not straightforward to get back to Java 6. And if you decided just to stick with Java 6, now Mac will at some point turn off Java Web Start if it hasn't been used for awhile!
So where does that leave us if you're encountering this error on your new Mac for the holidays? One workaround is to use Java 6 by directly using it to launch tXtFL from the command line. Try entering this command from the Terminal, where txtfl.jnlp is the tXtFL launch file you downloaded from our website:
/System/Library/Java/Support/Deploy.bundle/Contents/MacOS/javaws txtfl.jnlp
In the meantime, I'll continue looking into alternative, more elegant solutions. Let me know if you have any suggestions!
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