HT5559 Can I download the Apple-provided Java SE 6 as a .pkg?

Question

I was configuring ~/.bash_profile in order to conveniently switch the java version back and forth over the whole system (including terminal compiler, jvm, browser plug-in and web start). It worked for the first time (everything that requires java 6 to run finally works) but after a few repetitions java 6 is not working anymore (while reinstalling java 7 is still fine for java 7-dependent works). It shows missing plug-in on Chrome browser and there's nothing I could do to get back to java 6.

Answer 1

Here's a Kludge to let Chrome use java6, while at same time Safari/Firefox continue to use java7 (or 8, now avail).
After installing the  JavaForOSX2013-05.dmg from above http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1572 , if you previously installed java7, then you probably also need to do any/all of the steps at http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5559
But then I think you need to do them again after every java7 update. I think kludge below should be a one-time-only kludge that lets you update java7 without breaking java6-plugin for chrome.
Instead of doing the steps at http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5559 I was able to get chrome to use java6, while Safari and Firefox continue to use java7, with ONLY one long command, a variation of step 4, in Terminal:
sudo ln -sf /System/Library/Java/Support/Deploy.bundle/Contents/Resources/JavaPlugin2_NPAPI.plugin /Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/JavaPlugin2_NPAPI.plugin
After above "ls -d /Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/J*" should show 2 items:
/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin  (java7 64-bit plugin)
/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaPlugin2_NPAPI.plugin  (symlink to java6 32plugin)
Firefox and Safari use the java7-64bit plugin from oracle, and Chrome happily finds and use the java6-32bit plugin with the name of the symlink same as what it points to: JavaPlugin2_NPAPI.plugin
That is, if I then test the version of java I'm using at http://javatester.org/version.html chrome shows
     "Java version "1.6.0_65 from Apple, Inc".
And, at same time in Safari or Firefox http://javatester.org/version.html  shows "java version "1.7.0_51 from Oracle Corp" (after you add http://javatester.org/ to whitelist in both Safari and in Java Control Panel -> Security->Edit Exception List. At least on my 10.8.5 macbook. I'll test on mavericks and post results here tomorrow...
P.S. This may not be perfect... use at your own risk. For example, I can't get any of the demos to run in any browser at this oracle site: http://download.java.net/media/jogl/demos/www/