<i18n dev> [PATCH FOR REVIEW] 6593486: RFE: support user-defined directory path to time zone data files

[Omair Majid]

On 05/12/2011 03:39 AM, Masayoshi Okutsu wrote:
> On 5/12/2011 5:07 AM, Omair Majid wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> Andrew John Hughes<gnu_andrew at ...> writes:
>>> When distros update their timezone data, the data used by OpenJDK also
>>> needs to be updated. At present, this is difficult as OpenJDK uses a
>>> hardcoded path (${java.home}/jre/lib/zi} for timezone data with no
>>> option to override it.
>>>
>>> A bug was filed for this issue back in 2007 and there was some
>>> discussion on the mailing lists:
>>>
>>> http://mail.openjdk.java.net/pipermail/i18n-dev/2007-August/000001.html
>>>
>>> but no patch was committed.
>>>
>>> I've updated the patch and provide a revised version in this webrev:
>>>
>>> http://cr.openjdk.java.net/~andrew/6593486/webrev.01/jdk.patch
>>>
>>> Is it ok to commit this to swing-gate?
>>>
>> Does anyone have any thoughts about this? We have been carrying this
>> custom
>> patch in IcedTea for a few years now. It would be great if other
>> projects/platforms/architectures could make use of this.
>
> Andrew and I discussed his patch proposal *and* an alternative way to do
> the same thing, use of a symlink (i.e., ${java.home}/jre/lib/zi ->
> /usr/share/javazi). IIRC, he was supposed to evaluate the symlink
> approach. But I don't think I've heard back from him.
>
> I still prefer to use a symlink rather than introducing yet another
> property.
>

Are symlinks supported on all platforms? I see that Windows versions 
before Vista did not have good support for symlinks [1]. I, and probably 
others, would like to see this patch in OpenJDK6 too.

Thanks,
Omair

[1] 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolic_link#Windows_7_.26_Vista_symbolic_link