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Answer 1

+4 A:

Neither(!). I'd provide a configuration, which may be as trivial as a properties file.

e.g.

command.ls = /bin/ls

etc. The above is straightforward to implement, and very easy to change/override as required. I would be wary of relying on the PATH for all but the simplest scenarios.

Brian Agnew 2009-09-11 16:05:35

+1 I agree. Assuming the path to 'ls' in a shell script is one thing, buried in an app is something else. Java makes using properties files easy. The more widely your app is distributed, the more important this becomes. It's trivial to edit a properties file, but a hardcoded assumption in your app is a showstopper for an end user.When you deliver products, you want them to 'just work'

DaveParillo 2009-09-11 16:21:05

I fully agree. Using a properties file approach is the right thing to do. But it still falls into the responsibility of the Java application.

Max Spring 2009-09-11 16:51:57

Answer 2

A:

If the absolute path is a standard path like in /usr/bin, /usr/sbin etc I would use those, otherwise I would do a which on the command name and use the output of that.

ennuikiller 2009-09-11 16:05:47

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