To get it to work in, say, Mozilla:
Log in as root
Get the JRE from
Sun, here (get the RPM one)
In a console, cd to where you downloaded it (unless you changed the download default your console should start there anyway, root's home)
chmod a+x j2re-1_4_2_-linux-i586-rpm.bin(hit TAB to complete the name, this makes the file eXecutable)
./j2re-1_4_2_-linux-i586-rpm.binThis executes the file (because the current directory is NOT in the command Path as in AmigaOS you need to say "current directory" first with the ./ part) which will extract the RPM file here.
Hit space 'til you reach the end of the EULA then type yes.
rpm -ivh j2re-1_4_2_-linux-i586.rpmThis is how to install an RPM "by hand", i = install, v = verbose, h = hashes (progress bar)
cd to your mozilla plugins directory, on my system it was here:
cd /opt/mozilla/lib/pluginsIf there is a file libjavaplugin_oji.so there delete it:
rm libjavaplugin_oji.soMake a link from here to the plugin in the newly installed JRE directory, on my system it was here:
ln -s /usr/java/j2re1.4.2_03/plugin/i386/ns 610-gcc32/libjavaplugin_oji.so libjavaplugin_oji.so(should be no space in that first path it is ns610-gcc32, the reply editor is adding it)
Close and restart Mozilla, go somewhere with a Java applet to test it, there's a test applet
here.
Another tip, if you don't know where something is on the machine, use Find Files (obviously) or from the console, if you are looking for a shell command which will be in the Path use:
which filename to find it, or if it is not in the Path:
find / -name filename -print to find it. Some distros have a command called locate too but not on my Suse9 machine. The above searches the whole partition from / downwards.
All that could be done via the GUI too btw, but doing it like this gives a feel for the console and is quicker to go through in one step rather than clicking around windows and filling in dialogs. If you know how to do stuff like this you won't be caught out if a new distro doesn't offer a GUI panel to do task xyz either.
