Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
To help you find the information you want about the Java Developer
ConnectionSM (JDC), questions and answers
are categorized as follows.
- JDC Membership, Registration, and Login
- Subscribe/Unsubscribe to the JDC Mailing List
- Cookies
- JavaTM Technology
- Bug Database
- Site Problems
JDC Membership, Registration, and Login
- What is JDC membership?
- How do I join the JDC?
- Why do I need to register to become a member?
- Can I still log in to the JDC using a bookmark?
- How do I enable Automatic Login?
- How do I update my account information?
- I've forgotten my User ID or my password. How do I get
this information?
- I'm having trouble logging in to the JDC, what should
I do?
- How do I test if my browser is enabled for cookies?
- What if I don't want to accept cookies?
JDC membership gives you access to certain areas of the JDC that are restricted to members only.
These areas include: Early Access releases of software and specifications, a searchable Bug
Database, and participation in Community Discussion Forums.
Membership also entitles you to a subscription (if you choose) to the JDC Newsletter, JDC Tech Tips,
and occasional JDC Bulletins, to help you keep abreast of what's happening in the industry. The
newsletter may also, from time to time, feature special offers of interest to developers.
To join the JDC and register as a JDC member, click on the
"Register,
it's free!" link near the top of the JDC Home Page. You will
be asked to choose a user ID and a password. As soon as you complete and
submit the registration form, you will be registered as a JDC member.
There is no membership fee for the JDC. However, the JDC does require that
users who want access to this restricted information provide some
basic information about themselves. The restricted areas of the JDC include
the Bug Database, Early Access downloads, and Community Discussions (such
as Office Hours and Java Live). Restricted areas are marked with a special
graphic: 
.
When you register, you set up your own User ID and password. Each time you
log into a restricted areas, you will be asked for your User ID and
password. Or, if you are using a secure machine, you can use the
automatic-login function.
When you participate in forum discussions, your User ID will be your
identifier. The information you provide might be used by Sun
MicrosystemsTM for statistical purposes only, but not for any
other purposes.
If you've bookmarked a JDC restricted access page and if you have
Automatic Login enabled, you can log in using your bookmark.
Click on the
Change
Automatic Login at the top of the JDC Home Page.
You can change your account information by clicking the
Update
your account link near the top of the JDC Home Page. This takes you
to the JDC Registration page, where you can change your account
information.
If you've forgotten your User ID, then send email to the
JDC Webmaster with your full email
address.
If you know your User ID,
click here to
retrieve your password.
If you do not know your e-mail address please send an e-mail to
jdc-webmaster@java.sun.com. List all of the possible e-mail
addresses you might have used when you registered.
First, clear your cache.
Netscape users please follow these steps - Select Edit - Preferences -
Advanced - Cache - Clear Disk Cache, Clear Memory Cache and click OK.
Next, make sure your browser is enabled for cookies.
To access the JDC you need to have cookies enabled. All browsers are
configured a little differently, so check your browser's menu options for
enabling cookies and follow your browser's procedures.
NOTE: See "Cookies" for
more information about cookies and why the JDC uses them.
1 - Go to the URL http://developer.java.sun.com/
2 - Clear the location bar and enter javascript:alert(document.cookie)
Right now, the JDC has no alternative authentication method for those of
you who prefer not to accept browser cookies. Currently, the technology
is such that if you do not accept the cookie, you will not be able to
use the restricted areas.
Subscribe/Unsubscribe
- How do I subscribe to the JDC Newsletter and JDC Tech
Tips?
- I'd like my name to be removed from the JDC mailing
list. How do I make that happen?
When you register to become a JDC member, you are given the option of
subscribing or not subscribing. If you chose not to subscribe, but you've
changed your mind, click the Change Account Information link on the JDC
Home Page. This takes you to the
JDC
Registration page. Check the box next to "Include me on the JDC
mailing list".
Click here to unsubscribe
from the JDC mailing list.
Cookies
- What are cookies and why does the JDC use them?
- What do cookies have to do with logging in to the JDC?
- What does the JDC do with cookies?
- What if I don't want to accept a cookie?
A "cookie" is a small string of text that contains your JDC user
name, a session ID, and other information related to accessing the site.
There are two types of cookies: a session cookie, and an automatic-login
cookie.
When you log into the JDC, your browser will be asked to save a cookie. JDC
uses the cookie to authenticate membership. Only individuals with a valid
cookie in their browser can access restricted sites on the JDC.
If you try to enter a restricted area and you don't have a cookie, you will
be sent to the Login page. The cookie contains a session ID number, but not
your User ID or password, so no one else can examine your cookie and log into
the JDC as you. The session cookie is temporary and disappears when your
session ends.
If you enable Automatic Login, the browser saves the automatic-login cookie
to your system, so you can reenter JDC restricted areas from that system as
long as that cookie exists. If you disable Automatic Login, that cookie
also disappears.
To access the JDC you need to have cookies enabled. All browsers are
configured a little differently, so check your browser's menu options for
enabling cookies and follow your browser's procedures.
You also need to be sure your HTTP Proxy and firewall configuration is
not removing cookie information.
NOTE: If you are running any "cookie cutter" software, be sure it does not
remove the JDC cookies. If it removes your session cookie, your session will
terminate. If it removes your bookmark cookie, the bookmark will no longer
work.
JDC uses cookies for logging generic access data about which pages get the
most traffic. Typical web site logs, without cookie information, can tell
you, for instance, that a specific page was visited 100 times, but a site
administrator has only imprecise ways of telling if those 100 visits were
from one person requesting the page 100 times, or 100 people asking for the
page once each. Since login is no longer required for most of the JDC,
these statistics will now only be gathered from the restricted membership
pages. From the cookie information logged, the JDC can tell how many people
visit a page.
The purpose of collecting this data is only to verify that the person
logging in is entitled to do so. The cookies are not used to explore usage
patterns of individuals, nor will they ever be without your
explicit consent. Your cookie data will not be sold or otherwise
redistributed.
The intent is to create web-based tools and applications that help our
audience participate in the larger "community" of Java
programming language developers. The cookie information may be used, with
your explicit permission, as a means of fostering the Java community, for
example, to enable members to see who else is looking at a particular area
of the site; to exchange "business card" information; or to
participate in discussions or other types of interaction with like-minded
members.
Right now, the JDC has no alternative authentication method for those of
you who prefer not to accept browser cookies. Currently, the technology is
such that if you do not accept the cookie, you will not be able to use the
restricted areas.
Java Technology
- How do I get started with Java technology?
- How do I become certified as a Java programming language
developer?
- How do I get answers to my Java code questions?
- Where can I get product information?
- Where do I send feedback or questions?
- Can I get copies of the JDC applet source code?
For beginners, there's a starter kit that
can help you quickly learn how to write applets and applications. To access the
starter kit, click here.
For information regarding the Java Developer Certification program,
click here.
There are several ways to get answers to your questions about Java
programming code:
Information on specific products and APIs can be found on the
Products and APIs page.
To provide feedback or ask questions regarding specific products or APIs,
please use the aliases listed on the
Product and API Feedback page.
Currently the JDC does not provide the source code for its applets.
However, as we publish more technical articles about the inner workings of
the JDC, we will continue to include excerpts from our source code.
Bug Database
- If I find a new bug, how do I report it?
- I filed a bug report; why can't I find a bug that I submitted
in the Bug Database?
- I have a known bug ID; why can't I find the bug when I
search the database?
To file a bug, go to the Report
a Bug or Request a Feature page.
- Many bug requests are recieved, and each of them has to be screened and
reviewed before it can be included in the Bug Database. Not all bugs submitted
do end up in the database.
- Some bugs don't show up in the database for some time because of delays in
processing.
- Some bugs are not included in the Bug Database for security reasons.
- In the process of verifying and entering your bug report into the Bug
Database, some words or phrases may have been changed to more accurately
describe the problem.
Some bugs are not included in the Bug Database for security reasons.
Site Problems
- Why are the applets not working for me?
- How do I report a broken link?
This usually depends on whether or not you are behind a firewall. If you
are behind a firewall, contact your system administrator to configure your
DNS setup to enable applets to get through your firewall.
Send email to the JDC
webmaster with the link and the URL of the page where the link is
located.
