Currently kaffe can be set as generation 1 jvm, kaffe is not a java compiler and this causes problems. I am unsere if kaffe is allowed to be a 2nd generation jvm, but that's something someone else should judge.
I think you're a bit confused. Kaffe is a virtual machine. It does have a compiler (actually uses jikes). There is actually a different, valid reason why it shouldn't be be generation-1. I'm not sure if it is kaffe, or gnu-classpath (which it uses), which uses the newer JAXP API which ships with Java 1.5... the result is that it causes some of the same problems as 1.5, with regards to some packages failing because they don't implement the new API.
So basically kaffe should be allowed as a 1st generation jvm/jdk. Please file bugs about packages that fail with kaffe set as the system jdk. Just be sure to use the latest version. Just note that using kaffe as the system jdk is still considered experimental. The jdk itself as a standalone product is starting to be quite usable.
Maybe i assumed too much, but i was unable to compile/install 90% of java apps. They all complain of possible stack-overflows (iirc) (which was not true, as i used ulimit -s to expand as suggested) and that i should check my CLASSPATH. If i figure out something more, i will file specific bugs. When i feel like it, i might retry kaffe.
(In reply to comment #3) > Maybe i assumed too much, but i was unable to compile/install 90% of java apps. > They all complain of possible stack-overflows (iirc) (which was not true, as i > used ulimit -s to expand as suggested) and that i should check my CLASSPATH. If > i figure out something more, i will file specific bugs. When i feel like it, i > might retry kaffe. > I don't doubt this to be true, but it is customary to post specific instructions on howto reproduce problems and post the output of the failures to the bug before developers start investing more.