Testing the MIKA JVM

Downloading mika requires subversion as there seem to be no tarballs available for download.
Subversion requires port 3690, plus other tools.

Mika's repository is :
http://www.k-embedded-java.com/mika/trac/wiki/DownloadMikaNew

The dependencies are: jikes and jam.

Jikes is a java compiler from IBM. It is available as an rpm for FC4. No problems installing it.

Jam is a set of Ant scripts for building java applications. Just run configure, make, and make install. However, my FC4 has some broken links: /etc/alternatives/java_sdk_exports.
I had to edit the link to point to the installed JDK: /usr/lib/jvm/java-1.4.2-gcj

To build mika, I had to edit the Configuration/cpu/arm file, where the toolchain executables are defined. It wrongly assumes that the compiler was arm-linux-gcc, ignoring the CC variable.

To run the build process, type:
ant -DPLATFORM=default -DJAM.PLATFORM=arm-linux

Results are similar to the Skelmir's VM but with a different balance: setVisible is 3 times faster, but the screen creation is 3 times slower. The net performance is more or less the same.

Mika looks quite lightweight in terms of the flash footprint required.