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Will SIP run on my machine?
The Java programming language is supported, in principle, by all major
operating system and browser manufacturers. In practice, some browsers
are not yet up to the level at which they should be. While all of SIP's
features are available in a Java 1.1 compatible browser that can run
signed applets, some browser/platform combinations are not quite there
--- yet.
As for the most commonly used educational systems...
- Windows 95/98/2000/XP: SIP will work as a signed applet
(i.e., with all its features) on a Windows 95/98/2000/XP machine in a
recent version of Netscape Communicator, Microsoft Internet Explorer
(MSIE), or Mozilla Firefox (may need to install the Java
plugin).
- Mac: You have a few options...
- I have run SIP as a signed applet (i.e., with all its features) in
Mozilla Firefox 1.0 on a Mac OS X system. There may be other browsers
and operating system levels that will work just as well.
- SIP will run with all its features in Applet Runner. Download a
small html file called MacSIPbutton.html and run MacSIPbutton.html in
Applet Runner. First, you may have to download the Macintosh run-time
Java machine from Apple (see details below).
- When last I tried Internet Explorer on a Mac (a few years ago), I
found that SIP will run as an unsigned applet in MSIE, and then only if
you download the Macintosh run-time Java machine from Apple (see details
below).
Details on the platforms that I have tried:
- Windows XP, Mozilla Firefox 2.0 --- SIP
works as expected (may need to install java plugin).
- Windows XP, Mozilla Firefox 1.0 --- SIP
works as expected (may need to install java plugin).
- Windows 2000, Mozilla Firefox 1.0 --- SIP
works as expected (may need to install java plugin).
- Windows 2000, Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 --- SIP
works as expected.
- Windows 2000, Netscape 4.78 --- SIP
works as expected.
- Windows 2000, Netscape 6.2 --- SIP works. Netscape 6.2
appears to handle the certificate as if it were MSIE (presents a
certificate window when you first land on the SIP webgpage). One funny
behavior: if you leave the SIP webpage while running SIP, the SIP window disappears and you need
to start a new one! Fix: if you want to view the How To or other webpages while running SIP, just
open those pages in a new browser window.
- Windows XP, Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 --- SIP
works as expected.
MSIE 6.0 does not come with the Java
Virtual Machine already loaded. It needs to be downloaded and installed
before SIP will work. This is easy. When you first go to the SIP page
(or any other Java page), MSIE 6.0 will say "To display this page
correctly, you need to download and install the following components:
Java Virtual Machine." Just click on the "Download" button. (You must
be logged on as Adminstrator to complete this procedure.) When done, SIP
will work as expected.
- Windows 95/98/NT machine, Netscape Communicator 4.5-- SIP
works as expected.
- Windows 95/98 or NT machine, Microsoft Internet Explorer
4.5-- SIP works as expected.
- Mac (various OS, CPU), Apple's Applet Runner-- SIP works
as expected. Check to see if you have the Applet Runner application
(use Finder, click on File, Find...). If you don't have Applet Runner,
download the Macintosh run-time Java machine (called MRJ) from http://www.apple.com/java. Click
and hold the mouse button on the link MacSIPbutton (or Control-click-hold, if
necessary, depending upon your OS). Up should pop a menu of choices;
choose to download this html file to your disk. Now to run SIP start up
Applet Runner and use the menu item "File, Open" or "File, Open Local
HTML File" to open MacSIPbutton.html, then click on the "Start SIP"
button that appears in the small Applet Runner window. It may take 15
seconds or so for the small Applet Runner window to appear. (Some notes:
Double clicking on MacSIPbutton.html will not open it in Applet Runner
since it is not "associated" with Applet Runner -- it does not have an
icon which looks like Applet Runner's icon. On Macs a window's menu bar
is at the top of the screen, separated from the window. With both an
Applet Runner window and a SIP window opened the menu bar will contain
the items "File Edit Applet File View Process Analyze". The first three
items apply to the Applet Runner window. The other items "File View
Process Analyze" apply to the SIP window.)
- Mac (various OS, CPU), Netscape Communicator (various
levels)-- SIP did not work at all when last I tried this (a few
years ago)! However, an Apple website FAQ
states that "Netscape 5.0" should enable the user to select the
Macintosh run-time Java machine, which should allow SIP to work as a
fully functional signed applet in the Netscape browser. However,
Netscape 5.0 never appeared; instead there is a Netscape 6.0. I was not
been able to run SIP at all in Netscape 6.0 on a Mac.
- Mac (various OS, CPU), Microsoft Internet Explorer, Macintosh
Edition (various levels)-- SIP will work only as an unsigned applet.
In other words, you will not be able to read/write images on your own
machine's disk. All other features will work. This level of capability
requires that you: (1) download the Macintosh run-time Java machine
(called MRJ) from http://www.apple.com/java, if you
don't already have it, and (2)
set the preferences in MSIE to use the MRJ rather than the built-in MSIE
java. (Note: I know this "patch" works in MSIE 4.5 on a Mac 7500/100
running Mac OS 7.6.1. It may even work on older machines, or with a less
recent OS, but I don't know that from direct experience.) Finally, I
have read that the Microsoft Internet Explorer Macintosh Edition may
never enable applets to run as signed applets! (I guess that's a
choice by Microsoft.)
- Sun Unix Workstation running Solaris (various levels), Netscape
Communicator (various levels)-- SIP works as expected.
- Linux machine, Netsape Communicator (various levels)-- SIP
works as expected.
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