JGroups should not use System properties for configuration, it should instead use a Global Configurator class (singleton), similar to log4j; which just contains a Properties object. This would allow JGroups to be much easier to move around to different environments. For example : (Applet), which does not have access to easily change System properties, on a per applet basis.

This new class could have a mapping/conversion method to make the current -D command line options be put into this new Properties Configurator for backward compatibility