> everyone installs the Java 8 runtime b/c that's what comes up first on Google and then the apps silently crash/don't-work and users are confused
Is it not possible to add a tiny check from main()? If version is less than required, then show a (dreaded) JMessageBox or print message to STDOUT/STDERR where users can safely download the correct JDK.
Stuff like this is why I built Cosmo. I saw the writing on the wall, when the Java installer started adding toolbars to my browser. I made a solemn vow on that day to never build software that can't run unless my users install someone else's software first. Now, after walking away from hundreds of thousands of dollars of stock, and putting forth years of effort hacking in my garage, I'm finally a first-class citizen of all platforms and you can be too. If Java starts supporting building Cosmo binaries, the amount of love and trust that'll earn will be like how Meta pulled themselves out of the Cambridge Analytica mud by releasing LLaMA.
No idea. I'm guessing the process doesn't even launch (I don't remember if I checked this..). Do you have an example with a check ? I'd love to add it. You'd probably need a very basic Swing error popup
