All BoarderZone applications are based on Java and will thus run on any platform for which a Java implementation exists. Usually they require nothing more than a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) in version 1.5.0 or above. Of course, a Java Development Kit (JDK) of the appropriate version will do as well, even providing some additional features for some applications. See http://java.sun.com/ for more information about obtaining and installing a JRE or JDK.

Older JRE or JDK versions are not supported anymore and will result in an error when attempting to run an application with them (stating a message indicating an “Unsupported class version” or, in case of GUI applications, a dialog stating that the “main class could not be found”).

This requirement stems from extensive use of Java language features only present starting with 1.5.0 and thus it is not possible to just recompile the applications with an older target platform to support them.

After “installing” an application, the start scripts expect the java executable to be available in the PATH, which is normally the case when installing a JRE or JDK with default settings. Advanced users deviating from these will usually know how to setup the PATH accordingly.