Remote control no longer working

[A_Pirard]

No remote control preference was changed : Preference is set
JOSM Log:
INFO: RemoteControl::Accepting remote connections on /127.0.0.1:8111
INFO: RemoteControl::Accepting remote connections on /0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1:8111
no sign of remote connection

Firefox (Firebug)
127.0.0.1:8112 GET load_and_zoom?left=5.486...ottom=50.54261128467744
Aborted

URL:http://josm.openstreetmap.de/svn/trunk
Repository:UUID: 0c6e7542-c601-0410-84e7-c038aed88b3b
Last:Changed Date: 2016-11-16 00:27:08 +0100 (Wed, 16 Nov 2016)
Build-Date:2016-11-16 02:33:12
Revision:11259
Relative:URL: ^/trunk

Identification: JOSM/1.5 (11259 en) Linux Mint 13 Maya
Memory Usage: 507 MB / 1266 MB (309 MB allocated, but free)
Java version: 1.8.0_45-internal-b14, Oracle Corporation, OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM
Screen: :0.0 1366x768
Maximum Screen Size: 1366x768
Java package: openjdk-8-jre:amd64-8u45-b14-1~12.04
VM arguments: [-Djosm.restart=true, -Djosm.dir.name=JOSM-latest, -Djava.net.useSystemProxies=true]

Plugins:
+ areaselector (1478814827)
+ log4j (32699)

Last errors/warnings:
- W: Update plugins - org.openstreetmap.josm.plugins.PluginHandler$UpdatePluginsMessagePanel[,0,0,0x0,invalid,layout=java.awt.GridBagLayout,alignmentX=0.0,alignmentY=0.0,border=,flags=9,maximumSize=,minimumSize=,preferredSize=]
- W: Invalid jar file ''<josm.pref>/plugins/areaselector.jar.new'' (exists: false, canRead: false)

[Don-vip]

Can you please update your version of Java first, it's outdated.

[A_Pirard]

Can you please be specific?
I've got openjdk-8-jre installed (on Ubuntu).
JOSM says "Java version 1.8.0_45-internal" (and I never understood (why) those two sorts of numbering).
JOSM page says Java 8.
JOSM doesn't complain, so what's wrong?
What should I do? Always a puzzle each time I upgrade.
Would Java cause JOSM to wait on port 8111 and Firefox to query on port 8112 anyway?
BTW, Firefox has always issued an error message on each remote request and yet it (otherwise) works.
Ever since I used it and that is long.

[A_Pirard]

Hi,

I did not understand what you want: update to what?
Synaptic tells me that sun-java6-jre openjdk-6-jre openjdk-7-jre openjdk-8-jre are installed
The JOSM site used to say "for Java 7" but now "for Java 8".
One cannot guess 8 if there's no warning on the JOSM start page.
How can a user seeing just java-1.7.0 know that it's what JOSM calls Java 8.

$update-java-alternatives -l
java-1.6.0-openjdk-amd64 1061 /usr/lib/jvm/java-1.6.0-openjdk-amd64
java-1.7.0-openjdk-amd64 1051 /usr/lib/jvm/java-1.7.0-openjdk-amd64
java-1.8.0-openjdk-amd64 1069 /usr/lib/jvm/java-1.8.0-openjdk-amd64
java-6-sun 63 /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-sun
but that program did not figure that it should say what the alternative is and what name I should use to change it.

So, I had the idea:
p@TK11:~/w$ java -version
openjdk version "1.8.0_45-internal"
OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_45-internal-b14)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.45-b02, mixed mode)

And that seems to say that I'm running Java 8.
So, what you want: update what to what?

In one word all that needs clarification.

And now I made a new test and it works.
And yet, in my test, the request was not sent to the port JOSM was listening on.
But I won't try too find out why if I'm running the wrong version !!!
So, I marked this bug WFM.

Please note that ever since I use remote control, FF issues following message but "Editing works".
Editing failed - make sure JOSM or Merkaartor is loaded and the remote control option is enabled

[Klumbumbus]

Replying to A_Pirard:

So, what you want: update what to what?

You were using Java version 1.8.0_45, while the current stable Java version is 1.8.0_111. This is what you should update. (However I don't know if this version is already available for Linux Mint.)

[A_Pirard]

Thanks.
This is Ubuntu 12.04, actually, the Mint stamp is a stupid mistake of mine.
All the same, pirating anyway.
openjdk-8-jre packet is latest version which is 8u45-b14-1~12.04.
Easy, isn't it?

[Don-vip]

Please update Ubuntu then, you're two LTS versions behind.

[A_Pirard]

Yes, it's a well-known problem with Ubuntu and Linux that instead of making the one and only package that declares the minimal required dependency levels and that will install and run on all the system releases that meet them, many packets are generated for all system releases and they request the levels current in those releases.
Windows XP users continue to happily install most packages in their 11 years old release.
Ubuntu users are finger pointed and harshly accused of not finding time to upgrade their system after 3 years.
Packet maintainers are reluctant to produce packets for every other release.
I often picked a package from a later release, patched it to lower the dependencies and it ran fine.
It's a real pity that this problem is not understood and that users are accused instead of the system.