problem installing java plugin for firefox

[Timothy Van Meir]

I understand that java is deliberately not included in ubuntu. 
However, I need the java plugin to access certain web pages.  I'm
having trouble getting it to work, and I wondered if anyone here had
any insight.

First, I installed the java JRE using the following steps:
1.  I downloaded the J2SE JRE from this page:
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/download.html
2.  The JRE came in the form of an RPM, so I used alien to convert it
to a .deb file.
3.  I installed the deb file using dpkg

There did not seem to be any problems with those three steps.

Next, I attempted to activate/register the plugin with firefox using
the directions at the firefox FAQ
(http://texturizer.net/firefox/faq.html#q2.2) as follows:
1.  I opened a terminal and went to the firefox plugins directory,
which I understand to be /usr/lib/mozilla-firefox/plugins
2.  I executed this command:
ln -s /usr/java/j2re1.4.2_05/plugin/i386/ns610-gcc32/libjavaplugin_oji.so
This is the same as what is directed by the firefox FAQ, except for
the different version number for the JRE (the FAQ uses j2re1.4.2_01,
whereas I downloaded j2re1.4.2_05)

Once I did this, I found that when I went to a web page with java
content, firefox would simply shut down -- exits back to the desktop.

I have now deleted the link I put into the firefox plugins directory,
and the browser no longer shuts down, but java content remains
unaccessible.

Does anyone have any idea how this problem might be solved?  Thanks in
advance for any suggestions.

TIm Van Meir