How to check JRE version prior to launch?

Question

What\'s the best way to determine if the version of the JRE installed on a machine is high enough for the application which the user wants to run? Is there a way of doing it

Answer 1

You might consider Java Webstart. Even if the name implies something like applets, it's about standalone-applications. Webstart is a launcher, that checks a JNLP-file (a simple XML-file, where you configure the download-location of your app, the needed Java-version and some other metadata) and starts your app with the correct JRE. It even updates the application, if a newer version is available. The downside is, you have to write a JNLP-file. Here is an example:

    
       
      Sun Microsystems, Inc.
      
      A minimalist drawing application along the lines of Illustrator
      Draw Demo Short Description
      
       
    
   
      
      
      
   
   
 

A second possibility is to use a launcher-program. An example is the Apache Commons Launcher. You can also write some launcher app yourself, but that's usually not worth the effort.