I have Ubuntu 8.04 LTS and will need to remain on that for awhile as I am a programmer and cannot disturb what I'm doing in the middle of a project. As you know, it doesn't want to install the latest Firefox by default and keeps me in the stone age. So, I had to install my own Firefox. I did so and with relative ease I was able to install the Flash plugin using the normal 'ln -s' technique one usually does with /usr/lib/firefox/plugins.

Now I need to do a Gotomypc.com task and it requires Java -- moan -- so I need to figure out how to install Java. I downloaded and installed the latest Java plugin in /usr/java, and I do see underneath that layer of folders a plugins folder with a .so file. So, I went to /usr/lib/firefox/plugins and did this:

ln -s /usr/java/jre1.6.0_20/plugin/i386/ns7/libjavaplugin_oji.so

Then, I also read on the web that one has to create a ~/.mozilla/plugins folder, cd into it, and then run the same ln -s command again.

Another site recommended finding one's ~/.mozilla/firefox and renaming it to ~/.mozilla/firefox.old (after you backed up your bookmarks) and then launching firefox again so that it creates ~/.mozilla/firefox and uses the new Java plugin.

Well, all these attempts have completely failed and it is incredibly frustrating. I do about:plugins to see my plugins and all I get are the Flash and the default null plugin. I do not see the Java one. Also, they said on my tools menu with Firefox 3.6.3 I would see a Java Console menu and I don't see that either.

I found a pluginreg.dat somewhere deep under ~/.mozilla/firefox, but it does not list the Java plugin inside -- only Flash and the null plugin.

Please help me install Java. I need to help a client out and need to connect to his PC remotely with gotomypc, which requires Java inside firefox.