Does JRE 1.3.1_02 demand the latest Windows?

Question

Greetings everybody,
Is the functioning of JRE 1.3.1_02 dependent on the version of Windows on which it is installed?
I wrote a Java program containing a main method and which uses certain helper classes. Also an applet program was written. I packed the main class file, the applet and the helper classes into a jar and uploaded the jar onto a Mandrake 7.2 system. I set up the web-server Apache on the same Mandrake system, and placed a HTML file to open the applet. This applet enables a client browser to interact with the main java program running in the Mandrake system. On the command prompt of Mandrake I typed java -jar <jar filename> <main-class file> [enter]
From Internet Explorer installed on a Windows 2000 machine I called the HTML file. The applet opened and tried to locate the background main Java program, which it did and my whole setup ran successfully.
I then tried opening the same applet from Windows NT and Windows 98 systems. But the applet failed to open. In the Java console of IE I am getting a ClassNotFoundException <applet-class-name>
I agree I did not set the Mandrake system classpath and the Apache web-server classpath, but how is it that Win2k is able to detect the jar file in which the applet is located whereas NT and 98 do not? This has definitely something to do with the functioning of the JRE (the Win2K, NT and 98 all have JRE 1.3.1_02 installed)
Maybe there is some angle which I am missing, but I am describing as much as I can understand. Any inputs would be appreciated.
R.Srivatsan

Answer 1

Possibly the applet did not open on NT or 98 because it was unable to establish socket connections to your main Java program.
Maybe this has something todo with the way Socket connections are listened for. There is a difference in how Win2k listens and how NT and 98 listen.
Check out this link:
http://search.communities.microsoft.com/newsgroups/previewFrame.asp?ICP=msdn&sLCID=US&sgroupURL=microsoft.public.win32.programmer.networks&sMessageID=%253COZB4xO26BHA.2320@tkmsftngp04%253E
and also check the responses posted in the same newsgroup for this question.
In case it turns out that this is a socket connection problem, you need to install the latest WinSock API on your NT from the Microsoft site. This is available in the latest service pack (Service Pack 6 I think).
I am however not sure about the 98 part. 98 is still a robust OS with regard to JRE. Maybe you need to register certain ocx or dlls.
Hope this helps.
SNODX