Detecting java plugin using javascript

Question

Hello,
actually I'm neither new to java (but I didn't find a more appropriate forum here) nor my question directly refers to java, instead it concerns javascript:
I'm looking for a way to detect (inside an html-page) if the java plugin is installed (using javascript). What I don't need/want:
- Start/use a java applet to check for it (or embed some <object...>-stuff, that probably makes the vm start or opens some dialog automatically)
- use navigator.javaEnabled() (this merely tells you about the browser settings, not if the plugin is actually installed
I've already found navigator.plugins to be useful, but this only works on firefox, mozilla etc, but not on IE or Opera.
Any information or link etc. would be appreciated.
Thanks.

Answer 1

I would like to have some script detecting any version of the java plugin (older versions as well).
Anyway, if you only have a solution for newer versions or some vbscript creating an object... well, I would appreciate if you share it, too. Any help would be just fine :)
P.S.: About the jws-code you mentioned: I'm new to VBScript. I found something similar I think, but it returns nothing:
<script>
function checkPlugin(){
var r = detectIE("8AD9C840-044E-11D1-B3E9-00805F499D93","java");
alert("RESULT = " + r);
function detectIE(ClassID,name){
result = false;
alert(ClassID);
document.writeln('<script language="VBscript">');
document.writeln('\n on error resume next \n result = IsObject(CreateObject("' + ClassID + '"))');
document.writeln('msgbox(IsObject(CreateObject("' + ClassID + '")))');
document.writeln('</scr' + 'ipt>');
if (result)
return name+',';
else return '';
</script>Isn't that the way it's supposed to work (the vb is encapsulated to prevent some error messages on the mac, I think)? The classid should be correct, according to the registry.... So, how to do it?