[Octave-bug-tracker] [bug #57202] missing bit-compatible MSVCR100.dll reports as 'java not found'

[Nicholas Jankowski]

URL:
  <https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?57202>

                 Summary: missing bit-compatible MSVCR100.dll reports as 'java
not found'
                 Project: GNU Octave
            Submitted by: nrjank
            Submitted on: Sun 10 Nov 2019 08:12:06 PM UTC
                Category: Octave Function
                Severity: 3 - Normal
                Priority: 5 - Normal
              Item Group: Unexpected Error
                  Status: None
             Assigned to: None
         Originator Name: Nicholas Jankowski
        Originator Email: 
             Open/Closed: Open
         Discussion Lock: Any
                 Release: 5.1.0
        Operating System: Microsoft Windows

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Details:

a recent mailing list discussion [1] describes troubleshooting the apparent
inability of Octave to see a java installation.  I'll put a summary below to
document the issue for the next person, but the bug report is about whether
there's a better way to handle error messaging that might better indicate the
error.

Running Windows 10, 64bit, Octave 5.1.0 x64, (both exe and zip install
packages), JRE 1.8.0_231

Symptom: unable to run any java functions within Octave despite both Octave
and Java being installed and re-installed on the machine, verified both are
bit-compatible (both 64bit. bit-mismatch was the cause of most previous
reports of this nature.) Verifyied that the proper Java registry keys were
present as per [2].  
On reinstallation, if no Java installed the exe installer properly warned
about missing Java, and no warning if it was installed. But no matter what
Octave reported:

++
>> system("java -version")
java version "1.8.0_231"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_231-b11) Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit
Server VM (build 25.231-b11, mixed mode)
ans = 0

>> version -java
ans = no Java available
--

Looking inside version to see how it checks for java, I tried running one of
the commands manually hoping for a more informative error. I got:

++
>>  jname = javaMethod ("getProperty", "java.lang.System", "java.vm.name");

error: javaMethod: could not find library or dependencies: C:\Program
Files\Java\jre1.8.0_231\bin\server\jvm.dll
--

JVM.dll was present, and Octave was able to see and navigate to it. It was
suggested the error might be with a dependency as it said.  Running Dependency
Walker [3] on jvm.dll, a series of dependency missing reports popped up.
Ignoring the ones under /windows/system32 (kernel32, user32, advapi32,
wsock32, winmm, version, psapi), the last one missing was MSCVR100.dll  (MS
Virtual C++ Redistributable 10.0 (2010)).  

Looking under Control Panel / Apps - I saw that MSVCR 2010 was installed, but
only x86 (32bit version).  I downloaded the latest version of both the x86 and
x64 bit versions from [4] and [5], uninstalled the one that was there,
reinstalled both x86 and x64 versions, and suddenly java in octave worked (no
reboot required)

both exe and zip installed copies on the PC produced 
++
>> version -java
ans = Java 1.8.0_231-b11 with Oracle Corporation Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit
Server VM mixed mode
--

So, is there a better way to somehow handle the error messaging for 'version
-java'?  is there a more informative response something like javachk (without
arguments) could give? Something to the effect of 'yes we see java, no we
can't open it for some reason'? 

(I'm also looking to see if JRE installer is supposed to flag/fix missing
MSVCR100.dll, and maybe file a java bug report, but haven't yet found what
they expect to be normal behavior there. pointers welcome)


[1] https://octave.1599824.n4.nabble.com/JRE-not-found-windows-tp4694512.html
[2] https://octave.org/doc/interpreter/Set-up-the-JVM.html
[3] http://www.dependencywalker.com/
[4] https://www.microsoft.com/en-pk/download/details.aspx?id=8328
[5] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=13523




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