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IMPORTANT: Native Jin seems to be broken at the moment

What does "Native" mean?

Normally, Java applications like Jin are run by a special program called the Java Virtual Machine (or JVM), whereas most other programs run directly on your CPU. This process allows Java programs to run on many different types of CPUs and operating systems, but this flexibility has a negative effect on the speed (performance, responsiveness) of the application. Nobody said, however, that Java applications absolutely must be run by a JVM - with a special compiler, they can be made to run directly on the CPU (natively is the technical name for it). The compiler I have used for Jin is Excelsior JET. Unfortunately, this compiler is only available for Windows and Linux on x86 (if you don't know what this means, don't worry), so I can't provide native versions of Jin for any other architectures or operating systems.

Advantages and disadvantages

Comparing Jin running on Sun's Java 1.5.0 and the native version compiled with JET, I can tell you that the compiled version is noticeably faster/more responsive, but not by much (that is, you can notice the improvement, but it's not huge). If I had to put a number on it, I would say that it's about 20%-40% faster, but this is a very unscientific and subjective number.

Everything comes at a cost, however - the native version needs much more extra files, and is therefore much bigger. The current versions weigh at about 50 Megabytes.

Where do I download this?

Unfortunately, the JET compiler is not free. It's quite expensive, actually, and I paid for it with my own money. I have therefore decided on the following policy:

Contributing $10 or more to the Jin project gets you a natively compiled version of the current release.
Contributing $50 or more to the Jin project gets you a natively compiled version for as long as I make them.
People who have contributed before September 1st, 2005 are eligible for natively compiled Jin until further notice. This includes both monetary contributions and significant assistance with debugging and testing Jin.

How do you get the native version? You email me at msasha AT engineer DOT com

with the subject "Request for Windows/Linux native Jin" (choose either Windows or Linux), identify yourself (either via server and a nickname or the email address you've used to contribute via paypal) and I give you a URL where you can download it.

Important (read before contributing)

The native Jin is only available for Windows and Linux on x86.

Please keep in mind that you are not purchasing a license or buying a product of any kind. You are contributing to the Jin project and the native Jin is just a perk I'm offering to whoever I want. In light of this, here are some questions that are bound to get asked and answers to them:

Why should you trust me to send you the URL to download native Jin from? You shouldn't trust me. In fact, I don't guarantee that I will send it to you at all. All you have is my word.
What if there are problems with the native version? Can I get a refund? I will do my best to solve any problems, but I can't guarantee anything. In the worst case scenario, the native version won't work at all on your computer, and there will be nothing I can do to fix the problem. You will not get a refund, as you didn't pay for any product.
Why can't I just send the native Jin I got to all of my friends, or upload it to a public server and let everyone download it? You can, but that would be a very rude thing to do. I don't mind if you give it to a few friends (and encourage them to contribute), but putting it on a public server will likely make me unhappy.
Can I compile my own native version of Jin? Yes you can, and I even encourage you to do so. Excelsior used to offer free licenses of JET for personal, noncommercial use, but they seem to have stopped this. They still offer fully functional, time-limited trial versions however. To build a native version of Jin, run the "jet" target of the release/build.xml buildfile, after installing JET and compiling the JRE.