Java
So, Java eh? Pretty stinky stuff when it comes to library versions multiple VMs and trying to remember how to start up a program that requires six billion jar files.
I currently have a working Perl system to handle all of the sticky stuff that I want to shove onto CPAN. Of course you need Perl, but everyone should have it laying about on their machines if they don't already. I am at the moment cleaning up some of the issues that it raises with security and such like.
Briefly, the system takes a config for the system and a config for the application, constructs classpaths for you, figures out which interpreter it should be using and then goes and runs your app. It can also do kinky things like make sure that certain environment variables are set for particualr VMs, or add certain command line arguments to the program by default.
Probably doesn't make a huge amount of sense, one of the other things I'm doing is documenting everything, which, whilst not the greatest job in the world, is completely necessary. The number of system that are unusable because only the developers actually know how to use them is amazing. Look at the whole J2EE mess.
Not sure if it should go into CPAN however since it isn't just a set of modules but also a set of scripts that use them to do the business. Hmm. I'll let PAUSE tell me off if they don't want it up there I suppose.
Heat
Too hot to work here in London at the moment, temp is around 31C and the AC machines here are little more than underpowered fans.