If after installing Subclipse in Eclipse 3.4.2 you get the error message “Unable to load default SVN”, read this quick recipe on how getting Subclipse (and JavaHL) to work in Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex.

First of all I use an Eclipse Bundle built with the Yoxos Eclipse service, but without Subclipse.

The requirements for Subclipse 1.4 are Subversion 1.5 and the JavaHL library.

Subversion 1.5

$ sudo apt-get install subversion
$ svn --version
svn, version 1.5.1 ...

Java and JavaHL

You need to use Java provided by Sun.

$ sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jre

Note: libsvn-javahl is a dummy package to assist with upgrades from Debian 3.0, as libsvn-javahl has been renamed to libsvn-java.

$ sudo apt-get install libsvn-java
$ ls /usr/lib/jni
libsvnjavahl-1.so  libsvnjavahl-1.so.0  libsvnjavahl-1.so.0.0.0

And set Sun-Java as your default JVM:

$ sudo update-java-alternatives -s java-6-sun

eclipse.ini

We need to edit the eclipse.ini file to add a line which says where are the JavaHL librairies.

$ gedit ~/.../eclipse.ini
Add at the end the line: -Djava.library.path=/usr/lib/jni

My eclipse.ini file contains:

-startup
plugins/org.eclipse.equinox.launcher_1.0.101.R34x_v20081125.jar
-showsplash
org.eclipse.platform
--launcher.XXMaxPermSize
256m
-vmargs
-Xms40m
-Xmx256m
-Djava.library.path=/usr/lib/jni

Now, restart Eclipse, the install Subclipse.