Here's my problem as sent to Sun Microsystems Java Support...

Even though the Java Control Panel, and verifying installation through this site show that I have the latest version, and some earlier ones enabled, as follows, java -version shows

java version "1.3.1_02"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.3.1_02-b02)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.3.1_02-b02, mixed mode)

Control Panel shows:

1.4 1.4.2_06 http://java.sun.com/products/autodl/j2se C:\Program Files\Java\j2re1.4.2_06\bin\javaw.exe true
1.4 1.4.2_04 http://java.sun.com/products/autodl/j2se C:\Program Files\Java\j2re1.4.2_04\bin\javaw.exe true
1.4 1.4.2_05 http://java.sun.com/products/autodl/j2se C:\Program Files\Java\j2re1.4.2_05\bin\javaw.exe true
1.5 1.5.0_04 http://java.sun.com/products/autodl/j2se C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_04\bin\javaw.exe true
1.5 1.5.0_02 http://java.sun.com/products/autodl/j2se C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.5.0_02\bin\javaw.exe true

Some java apps aren't running, and the vendor says my version is too low. What's up? What can I do to correct this problem?

Here's Sun's Answer...

Thank you very much for your interest in Java(TM) technology. We highly encourage you to spend some time reading the solutions published on the Java.com Help and FAQ pages.

You have JRE 5.0 (1.5.0_04) which is the current version of the JRE. Please contact the vendor and ask for the specific version of the JRE that you need. You can download archived JRE from this site.
http://java.sun.com/products/archive/index.html

Also, you can check to see if Java is correctly installed on your system. Are you able to run this test applet on our help site?
http://www.java.com/en/download/help/testvm.xml

Thank you very much for contacting Sun Microsystems. Java.com – The Source for Java Technology.

Regards,
Consumer Java Support
Sun Microsystems, Inc.

At least they're polite, though it did take five days to get this non-answer to me.

Of course, as with any multi-vendor problem, it's rather like when you get eggs not to your liking at a restaurant. Do you blame the cook or the hen?

Of course, the test that they ask me to do is the test on their site that I told them I did.

'Tis most odd. Why does my laptop run a 1.3 version of JVM/JRE from command line, but 1.5 if run through the GUI. Why does the Java Control Panel show various versions of 1.4 and the latest 1.5, but not any 1.3 versions though that is what the command line shows.

Actually, I found the answer on my own. Let's blame Oracle. An installation of Oracle9i seems to be the have changed some path information.

We're headed to SoCal to kick-off a new project. Three days of Discovery and then back home to write the Strategy Document and then back down to present it, we're shooting for the week of August 8.

We may have to delay the presentation, though. The project involves decision support & data warehousing using open source projects, and LinuxWorld SF05 is the week of August 8. Serendipitous, no?