Firefox 2.0.0.8 = security alert when calling a Java applet method

Question

I have a JavaHelp applet that I launch using a method that I called
from JavaScript when a user clicks on a link.
A problem I found with Firefox 2.0.0.8 and JRE 1.4 is that when I
click on the link it will try to display a security alert window, but
the window appears to freeze up when it is being displayed and hangs
the browser. For example, I cannot see any of the buttons that should
be on the security window. Rather the main window is empty. However,
if my applet exposes a button that the user can directly click, the
security window displays properly and can be dismissed.
With the same JavaHelp applet, the link works fine if I use it Firefox
2.0 and JRE 1.6 or JRE 1.5, and with IE 6.0 and IE 7.0. I uninstalled
and reinstalled Firefox with JRE 1.4, and I couldn't reproduce the
problem. However, I'm concerned that this problem may resurface in
the future.
Has anyone ever seem a similar problem? And if so, are there any easy
workarounds?

Answer 1

>
I have a JavaHelp applet.. >I suggest you launch it using Java Web Start (JWS).
Here is a test of a direct launch of the HelpButton JavaHelp applet.
<http://www.physci.org/jh/test.html#launch>
It would only take minor changes to the code to make the button entirely redundant, and have the code automatically launch the HelpViewer, once the user clicks the link to the JNLP launch file.
That 'JavaHelp/JWS' page is my test page for launching JavaHelp in a variety of forms.