Detect if Sun plugin is installed (in IE) EVEN if not set as default in plugin?

[PilotYid]

I've looked everywhere and havent found a way to do what I need to do,
so I'll try posting this:

We have a need to sent users to one of 2 webpages depending on whether
they are using the MS JVM/1.1 or the Sun plugin/1.2+
What we did is create a simple applet that checks the java.version
property and forwards to the appropriate page depending on its value.
This should work fine except for one case:
If the user has the plugin installed but it is not set as the default
for IE, then IE will use the MS JVM when it encounters the applet tag,
and the user will get the 1.1 page even though they have the plugin
installed - we don't want that. Other requirements are that we only
need to support IE and we don't want the user to have to download the
plugin if they dont have it.
Can anyone think of anyone to do this? Can I use the OBJECT tag somehow
for this? Maybe nesting the OBJECT and APPLET tags? Also, if there was
anyway to detect the installation of the plugin using javascript it
would help.
Any ideas?
Thanks
Aaron

 

[Andrew Thompson]

I've looked everywhere and havent found a way to do what I need to do,
so I'll try posting this:

We have a need to sent users to one of 2 webpages depending on whether
they are using the MS JVM/1.1 or the Sun plugin/1.2+

The MSVM is obsolete. Every build up to and including 3809 has
security problems rated as critical (by MS). The 3810 build MSVM
(& all previous) will show the exact location of the class file
archives on the file system.

The MSVM is no longer being shipped with any windows installation,
and MS advice re the MSVM is 'identify MSVM dependent applications
and migrate them to Sun VM/.NET'.

Do your end users who are lumbered with IE a favor, by using the
nested OBJECT/EMBED form of the applet call that upgrades them
to 1.2 (..or better, the latest VM).