Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard Gets Java SE 6 for Developers

Apple added support for Java SE 6 to Mac OS X 10.5 via software update utility Tuesday. Apple warned that this update release is intended only for users running OS X 10.5.2 or later on 64-bit Intel-based Macs. The update cannot run on PowerPC-based or 32-bit Intel-based Macs and it should not be installed on earlier versions of Mac OS X.

Apple regularly updates both versions of Java, namely Java 1.4.2 and Java SE 5, on every Mac running Tiger or Leopard, with security fixes and compatibility improvements. However, none of the aforementioned versions are meant for Java developers.

When Java SE 6 was first released in 2006, it added a number of useful features for developers; however, when Leopard shipped last fall, it came out without Java SE 6 support - wreacking havoc among Java developers. Originally, Apple posted a developer preview of Java SE 6 for Leopard in December 2006.

Apple holds that “Java is an important technology included as a core feature of Mac OS X, and Apple puts forth extensive effort to make sure Java performs well, is reliable, compatible, and secure.”

The latest version of Java for Mac OS X is specifically targeted at Java developers and requires an Intel-based Mac capable of running 64-bit applications, including computers with Core 2 Duo processors and any Mac Pro compute.

Download Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 1 with Java SE 6 version 1.6.0_05 to your Mac. This update does not replace the existing installation of J2SE 5.0 and does not change the default version of Java.