I'm trying to enable java on my browsers (i tried it on firefox) so that i can do stuff like play games such as yahoo games. however as i suspected i didn't have java installed so i download the JRE from java.com. I install the packet on linux and do what they say which reads
Example:

If Mozilla is installed in this directory:
/usr/lib/mozilla-1.4/
and if the JRE is installed at this directory:
/usr/java/jre1.5.0
Then type at the terminal to go to the browser plug-in directory:
cd /usr/lib/mozilla-1.4/plugins
Enter the following command to create a symbolic link to the Java Plug-in for the Mozilla browser.
ln -s /usr/java/jre1.5.0/plugin/i386/ns7
/libjavaplugin_oji.so .
Start Mozilla browser or restart it if it is already running. Note that if you have other Mozilla components (ie: Messenger, Composer, etc) running, you will need to restart them as well.
Go to Edit > Preferences. Under Advanced category > Select Enable Java

however, i go firefox and see if it works and it doesn't. then i check to see if my plugin is found under firefox by going to edit > preference > downloads > plugins and it's not there. i tried just copying and pasting libjavaplugin_oji.so into the plugin folder of the firefox/plugin folder but then fire fox won't even load up. so i dont know what to do. any help will be appreciated

man i got the same problem
its pissin me off because i wana do the same thing and nothin works and im pissed


HELPL US

I might have read it wrong, but when you are running the ln -s command, you need to state it like..

$ ln -s /usr/java/........libjavaplugin_oji.so /home/user/.mozilla(or firefox)/libjavaplugin_oji.so

Instead of putting it in "/usr/lib/mozilla-1.4/plugins" or whatever (Are you actually using Mozilla 1.4? I thought you said Firefox.), it is recommended to put it in "/usr/lib/mozilla/plugins"; that way any version of any browser will be able to use it.

That's not where you check to see if a plugin works. Instead, go to the URL "aboutlugins"

I am trying the same thing too. Can anyone tell me the procedure that really works?Actually, i have copied the file to the location of plugins in firefox and still it does not matter.No Java plugin....

well i had the same problem when i installed firefox on my debian, and installed java runtime, i followed those instructions too. they didn't work, but then i've browsed /..../jre1.5.0/ and found out that there are TWO files of that libjavaplugin_oji.so!!!!!! i've tried the same (symbolic link) with THE OTHER one and it helped!!! try it but i'm not saying that it would help you 100%, anyway it helped me

Holy Cow! You're the best. This irritating Java thing had me up the wall fot QUITE some time!.

I hate Sun. Their first Star Office suite had a typo in its install script that had me puzzeled for months too.

The "self installer" from Java does not make these links itsef! I did. I works.