[CentOS] Can't get JRE to install so that FireFox sees it

[Andrew Hull]

Dave,
First, confirm that Java is installed.

cd /usr/java/

you should have a directory "jre1.5.x.x.x" or whatever the current version.
That directory should have some stuff in it:

<SNIP>
[ahull at hal jre1.5.0_02]$ ls
bin      COPYRIGHT  lib      man     README 
Welcome.html
CHANGES  javaws     LICENSE  plugin  THIRDPARTYLICENSEREADME.txt
<!SNIP>

If it does not, then Java is not installed yet. I recommend not 
downloading the RPM.

One you get it installed, then you have to copy the plugin to the proper 
directory in Firefox.

a symbolic link would do this nicely.

ln -s n -s /<java dir>/plugin/i386/ns7/libjavaplugin_oji.so /<firefox 
dir>/plugins/

Then enable the java checkbox in firefox preferences and you're set.

The java website has some decent instructions too:
http://java.com/en/download/help/5000010500.xml#selfextracting

Andrew