Java App (.jar file) Runs on PC but Won't Run on a Mac

[Dogwood]

Hi. I'm learning that cross-platform compatibility of jar files is great in theory but not 100% in reality. We have a java app that downloads from a website (not run through the browser) and runs fine on my PC but doesn't work on a Mac (10.6.8). The latest java is installed on both machines. Is there a list of the most common errors, or differences between the two, or a way to troubleshoot the process? The purpose of the app is to do "silent printing." Thanks.

[DarrylBurke]

1. Is this an Applet you have programmed, or just one you're trying to use?
2. It doesn't really tell us anything when you say "doesn't work." Are there any errors shown in the Java console?

db

[Dogwood]

1. It's an applet created/written by my developer. I'm the website owner.
2. What happens is that the image doesn't print, so the center of the page is blank, but the text--the header and footer--do print. The two files are supposed to be written to one object, and as I say it does work on Windows. For the image part we have a high quality PDF renderer. Regarding Java console--is there a way to run that not in the browser? I may not be computer literate enough, but that doesn't appear to show anything. When I do a test run (through a test page set up on the site) the console only seems to be engaged until I download the file to my desktop. From there when I run it, that seems to be outside the purview of the console. It doesn't "comment" from that point on. The other issue is that the text, the header and footer which do print, are shifted upward so that header is right near the edge of the page and the footer is up too high. In Windows both margins are the same size, i.e. the text is vertically centered.

Edit: It's up to me to detect errors on Mac in Java console. My WD uses a PC and it works fine for him.

[DarrylBurke]

1. It's an applet created/written by my developer.

So, it should be the responsibility of that developer to solve any problems. If he's puzzled, he could create an account here and ask for help.

There isn't really very much help we could offer to someone who isn't aware of/familiar with the programming of the Applet.

db