更改Java版本终端使用

Question

my first post on this forum, so please give me a break. Recently I installed java 7 for my computer, but I had downloaded java 6 before. Currently the Java control panel and the java website tells me that I have Java 7. However, when I go into the terminal and type: java -version, it comes up with:

java version "1.6.0_65"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_65-b14-462-11M4609)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 20.65-b04-462, mixed mode)

I am aware that terminal accesses java from the path '/usr/bin/java', and the control panel accesses java from the path '/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin/Contents/Home/bin/java', so how can I change the terminal path to java?

Answer 1

Try using $ export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home -v 1.7) - it's the canonical way to switch Java versions.

Here's what it looks like on my machine:

$ export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home -v 1.6)
$ java -version
java version "1.6.0_65"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_65-b14-462-11M4609)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 20.65-b04-462, mixed mode)

$ export JAVA_HOME=$(/usr/libexec/java_home -v 1.7)
$ java -version
java version "1.7.0_11"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.7.0_11-b21)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 23.6-b04, mixed mode)