Java naming schemes

This page contains answers to common questions, along with some tips and tricks that we have found useful and presented here as questions.

1. What version of Java should I install?
2. Ugly blocks around the mouse cursor whenever I click
3. I try to View the Reports and all I get is a "Black DOS Window", whats up?
4. Tried that (answer to previous question) still get a "Black DOS Window", AND I run Windows NT 4.0, what next?
5. I have have 3 divisions, but 1 division doesn't make it a race when the other two do? How do I deal with that?
   

What version of Java should I install?

The recommended version of Java2 to run JavaScore with is version 1.3.  Earlier versions are very dated and some problems.  The newest version of Java2 is 1.4, I have done some testing of JavaScore under 1.4 and it appears to work, but I'm not recommending an upgrade at this time (probably in the fall of 2002 I'll upgrade JavaScore to take advantage of version 1.4)

The installer of JavaScore that comes with a "VM included" includes 1.3.

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I get ugly blocks around mouse cursor, how do I fix it?

The problem in the cursor on Windows 95 and 98 machines using older versions of the Java language, it may leave ugly rectangular remnants as you move the cursor around and click on things.  If you have this problem, you'll know what I mean pretty quick!

This is a problem with Java on Windows.  The bad news is that it's a Java bug, (not me, not JavaScore).  The good news is that there is a workaround (and the Java folks will have it fixed in the next release of Java).

Best answer: download the version 1.3 of Java2,  You can do that by going to the JavaScore Download page and including the "VM" in your download (about 6 megs)

The WORKAROUND (one or all of these may need to occur):  

• (Win 98 only) turn off the active desktop
• set the windows color scheme (Control Panel, Display, Appearance, Scheme) to the Windows Standard,
• set your Mouse scheme (Control Panel, Mouse, Pointers) to either "(None)" or "Windows standard", 
• turn off mouse "pointer trailers" (not all mouse drivers have this feature)

    That should take care of the problem.  The next release of Java (version 1.3) will fix this problem, so I don't have to.

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I try to View the Reports and all I get is a "Black DOS Window", what's up?

What's happening is that JavaScore is trying to open up a browser for you (Netscape or MS Explorer or other).  To do that it fires off an ugly DOS window which is supposed to cause your default browser to fire up and load the reports.

The first time you do this, it can be a bit slow (I'm being polite, it can be very slow).  On my 3 1/2 year old, 266 Pentium, it take 5-10 seconds, and then up pops Netscape.

If, after exuding ample patience, you still don't get reports, the most likely cause is that you do not have a "default browser" set (unusual but it does happen).  To verify this, open up an Explorer window (one of those windows with files and file folders), find a file anywhere that ends in ".html" ( if you need an example, wander down through the "c:\Program Files\JavaScore\reports" directory) and double click on it.  If you get a window that is something like the one shown here:

This means that you do _not_ have a default browser... but its pretty easy to create one.  Scroll down until you see your browser (in the example at right, I've selected Netscape). 

Next, make sure the "Always use this program to open this file" is checked.  Then press OK.

That should fire up your browser with the file that you recently double-clicked on loaded.

Now go back to JavaScore and see if you can now pull up reports.

By release 1.0 I'm going to clean this up a bit, but using you're choice of browser to show the reports is much much faster and nicer than a tacky embedded browser that I could use.

Tried that (answer to previous question) still get a "Black DOS Window", AND I run Windows NT 4.0, what next?

There's a windows bug (this is called, pass the buck, watch closely)... You have probably installed JavaScore into the default directory ("c:\program files\javascore")... 

Turns out that the scheme I have for firing up your browser, does not work if you are both (a) on Windows NT and (b) have a space in the install directory name (the blank between 'Program' and 'files'.

Work around: Move the "c:\program files\javascore" to "c:\javascore", or any other directory with _no_ spaces in any of the directory names.

I'm working on solving this right, but it appears to be a dump operating system glitch not  a Javascore glitch.

I have have 3 divisions, but 1 division doesn't make it a race when the other two do? How do I deal with that?

This is awkward for release 1.0 because JavaScore, doesnt yet really do divisions all that well.  The work around is that you need "manually" give each boat in the division that did not complete race "x" a penalty of "MAN" (Manual) and a score of 0 (zero) points.  Yes its a nuisance, and it will go away when divisions are supported more thoroughly (a 1.1 action item)

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