Java 8 on Mac OS X Yosemite

I’ve recently had issues with my Macbook Pro that resulted in me doing a clean install of Mac OS X Yosemite. This was a good opportunity to ensure that I was using the latest version of as much software as possible including java.

Up until Java 6, apple provided their own version of java, but  versions 7 and 8 are now available directly from oracle. With java 6 being out of support, and 7 going out of support soon, I did not want to install anything older than java 8.

The only problem is that some applications are built around java, and the first time that you run them, they prompt you to install the legacy java 6 version from apple, even though java 8 is installed and is for the most part backwards compatible.

There is a solution:

Locate the file: /Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdk1.8.0_25.jdk/Contents/Info.plist

Find the <dict> entry and add the entries in bold as shown below, then save the file.

<dict>

<key>JVMCapabilities</key> 

              <array>               

                  <string>JNI</string> 

                  <string>BundledApp</string>

                  <string>WebStart</string> 

                  <string>Applets</string> 

                  <string>CommandLine</string> 

              </array>

              <key>JVMMinimumFrameworkVersion</key> 

              <string>13.2.9</string>

                <key>JVMMinimumSystemVersion</key> 

              <string>10.6.0</string> 

              <key>JVMPlatformVersion</key>

                <string>1.8</string>

                <key>JVMVendor</key> 

              <string>Oracle Corporation</string> 

              <key>JVMVersion</key> 

              <string>1.8.0_25</string>

   </dict>

 

You will now be able to launch apps with embedded java, without being prompted to download the legacy java 6 from apple.

So far the only application that I’ve found that won’t work with Java 8, is xDock for mac.

Tested with iAlertU and various adobe apps.