Welcome hackclub retrospect refugees!

If you're not from hackclub and you're trying to build a j2me application in 2025, I question your motives but heres the most up to guide on the internet for it.

Install a 32 bit JDK

Extract this tarball file and move its contents into /usr/lib/jvm/java-8-openjdk-32. Set it as your default jre with sudo archlinux-java set java-8-openjdk-32

Enable Multilib

• I don't know exactly what you need installed but libraries reported to me include
• lib32-libxtst
• lib32-libxrender

Download sun-wtk from the AUR

• Self explanatory

Download these plugins

1. Download this zip file
2. extract this file
3. You'll use this later

Installing Mobility

Install Netbeans 8.2. This requires an oracle account so I posted it here.

1. Run the installer I linked here
2. When asked for jvm, use the java-8-openjdk-32 you installed
3. finish installation
4. Open tools > plugins
5. Install the Mobility Plugin

Installing the other plugins you need

1. Go back to Tools > Plugins
2. Open the Downloaded tab
3. click Add Plugins
4. Select all the plugins from the zip file you used earlier except for the following:
   • Java ME SDK CPU Profiler Snapshot Viewer
   • Profiler (Java ME Projects Support)
   • Profiler Ant Support
   • Toolbar core
   • Java ME SDK Welcome Screen.
5. Install these plugins

Setting the platform

1. Go back to the main page and select Tools > Java Platforms
2. Click Add Platform
3. Select Platform Type: Java ME CLDC Emulators
4. Select /opt/sun-wtk
5. Proceed and finish

Note:

If this fails, try setting your WTK_JRE_PATH="/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-openjdk-32/" environment variable, and then launching netbeans. If this works, you can add it to /etc/environment

Creating your first project

• The examples plugin didn't install for you most likely, but I have extracted the Samples and put them in Samples/ of this repo
• You can also just create a new project (Box icon), select Java ME, and have your fun that way

Fixing the inbuilt emulator

• I recommend just running Microemulator as its less problematic but the inbuilt emulator can usually be fixed by running sudo execstack -c /opt/sun-wtk/bin/*.so. This requires the aur package https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/execstack. Some people report still having issues with Malloc, this seems to be system dependent.

Notes:

• The run button is broken, install microemulator and build every time you need to run, running microemulator (yourthing).jad in the commandline
• If you have images to submit to this guide, open a github issue and I'll be happy to add them
• I didn't test this guide exactly in this order, but its still the correct steps to my knowledge