Are you tired of writing shell or batch scripts that launch
your Java applications? Tired of keeping track of where
class libraries are installed? Sick of editing
classpaths?
I was too, so I decided to eradicate this problem once and for all. Springboard is a small application that I threw together during the course of a dreary winter weekend while listening to endless hours of Synaesthesia. Springboard is essentially a program manager for Java (and is itself a Java application). It allows you to organize your Virtual Machines, class libraries, and Java applications using an intuitive graphical interface.
Springboard is free software, distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License. It is based on (and requires) the Kiwi Toolkit.
Here is a screenshot of Springboard in action. Click on the thumbnail for the full-sized image:
Following is a whirlwind screenshot tour of Springboard.
When you run Springboard for the first time, a wizard will guide you through the simple setup procedure.
Setup Wizard screenshot
Springboard's main interface consists of a tabbed pane that provides browsers for applications, class libraries, and virtual machines.
Application Browser screenshot
Library Browser screenshot
JVM Browser screenshot
You can create a new application, library, or JVM definition easily; just fill out a corresponding property sheet.
Application Definition screenshot
Library Definition screenshot
JVM Definition screenshot
To launch an application, just double click on it in the Application Browser! No more scripts. Of course, if you want scripts (and sometimes, a script is necessary), just click on the script icon and have Springboard generate it for you!
Once Springboard has launched an application, it keeps track of it for you. Just pop up the Task Manager and you can see the list of currently running Java applications. You can obtain start time and uptime statistics for a process or kill a process with a click of the mouse. You can also view the output of the process in a Java console window.
Task Manager screenshot
Java Console screenshot
The current release of Springboard is Version 1.2. Documentation is a bit sparse at this point, but will improve with future versions.
Download Springboard now! (Approximately 470K). Please note that Springboard requires JDK 1.3 or later and Kiwi 1.3 or later.
For installation info, see the README that is included in the distribution.