Getting Started

Requirements

Pooka requires that you have a Java 2 Runtime Environment (JRE) or Java 2 Software Developer Kit (SDK) installed in order to run. If you do not have a compatible version of Java installed, you can probably find it available for download from the Java Technology Hompage. If it's not available there, then check the website for your OS vendor.

This version of Pooka runs best with the most recent 1.2 or 1.3 JDK that is available. While JDK 1.4 will work, certain features (most notably SSL) will not be available. The next major release of Pooka will be targeted at JDK 1.4.

Running Pooka

Pooka ships as an executable JAR file. Most operating systems will let you run executable JAR files just as you would any other application: either by single- or double-clicking on the file either on your desktop or in a file browser.

In addition, Pooka can be opened from a command prompt. For this, your Java installation will need to be in your command PATH. Simply run the command

java -jar pooka.jar

and Pooka will start up.

Note that, by default, Java provides a rather limited amount of memory for applications. If you are running with large mailboxes, it might be a good idea to increase the maximum amount of memory available for Pooka to use. The -Xmx option changes the maximum memory available to Java applications. For example, to start up Pooka with 64 megs of memory available, you would use the command

java -Xmx128M -jar pooka.jar

Starting Pooka through Java Web Start

Pooka may also be started using Sun's Web Start technology. This is a system that lets you manage and launch Java applications from a centralized point, usually from within your web browser. Go to the Pooka Web Start page and follow the directions there to use Pooka with Web Start.