Regional settings impact JavaScript Number conversion to String in applet

Question

Environment:
XP, IE6 and IE7, JDK 1.6.0_13,1.6.0_10,1.6.0_7, Apache
Hi,
We recently converted our application from the MS JVM to Sun JVM 1.6 and have since had numerous problems with a user's regional setting impacting the application's behaviour.
The application is using an applet, passing JavaScript Number values to an Applet where the input argument in the Java function is declared as a String.
We have users with various regional settings, most don't impact the application, but we have found problems when the regional settings are set to "French (France)" or "German (Germany)".
With "French (France)" JavaScript Number values >=10000000 get truncated to a Java String value of just the first character.e.g. 10000000 is converted to "1", 200000000 is converted to "2".
With "German (Germany)" a trailing "0" is added to the converted String, and for values >=10000000 we get the String value with an additional 6 "0"s and then 2 additional "0"s as the input Number value is increments by each power of 10.
A simple example follows.
Any help understanding why this is happening and any coding solution would be appreciated.
The default number format for the various regional settings seems to be impacting the implicit conversion to String in LiveConnect.
We can re-code to convert the Number value to a String in the JavaScript before calling the applet, but this involves significant re-coding of the application.
We also have a workaround to verify that navigator.userLanguage returns one of the list of supported languages and exit the application if the language is unsupported.
Thanks
Rob
Example output for test:
OK
English (United States)
Regional Settings Number format sample: 123,456,789.00
lang=en-us,javascript Number=1,Applet Java String value =(1)
lang=en-us,javascript Number=11,Applet Java String value =(11)
lang=en-us,javascript Number=111,Applet Java String value =(111)
lang=en-us,javascript Number=1111,Applet Java String value =(1111)
lang=en-us,javascript Number=11111,Applet Java String value =(11111)
lang=en-us,javascript Number=111111,Applet Java String value =(111111)
lang=en-us,javascript Number=1111111,Applet Java String value =(1111111)
lang=en-us,javascript Number=11111111,Applet Java String value =(11111111)
lang=en-us,javascript Number=111111111,Applet Java String value =(111111111)
lang=en-us,javascript Number=1111111111,Applet Java String value =(1111111111)
lang=en-us,javascript Number=11111111111,Applet Java String value =(11111111111)
NOT OK >=10000000
French (France)
Regional Settings Number format sample: 123 456 789,00
lang=fr,javascript Number=1,Applet Java String value =(1)
lang=fr,javascript Number=11,Applet Java String value =(11)
lang=fr,javascript Number=111,Applet Java String value =(111)
lang=fr,javascript Number=1111,Applet Java String value =(1111)
lang=fr,javascript Number=11111,Applet Java String value =(11111)
lang=fr,javascript Number=111111,Applet Java String value =(111111)
lang=fr,javascript Number=1111111,Applet Java String value =(1111111)
lang=fr,javascript Number=11111111,Applet Java String value =(1)
lang=fr,javascript Number=111111111,Applet Java String value =(1)
lang=fr,javascript Number=1111111111,Applet Java String value =(1)
lang=fr,javascript Number=11111111111,Applet Java String value =(1)
NOT OK
German (Germany)
Regional Settings Number format sample: 123.456.789,00
lang=de,javascript Number=1,Applet Java String value =(10)
lang=de,javascript Number=11,Applet Java String value =(110)
lang=de,javascript Number=111,Applet Java String value =(1110)
lang=de,javascript Number=1111,Applet Java String value =(11110)
lang=de,javascript Number=11111,Applet Java String value =(111110)
lang=de,javascript Number=111111,Applet Java String value =(1111110)
lang=de,javascript Number=1111111,Applet Java String value =(11111110)
lang=de,javascript Number=11111111,Applet Java String value =(111111110000000)
lang=de,javascript Number=111111111,Applet Java String value =(11111111100000000)
lang=de,javascript Number=1111111111,Applet Java String value =(1111111111000000000)
lang=de,javascript Number=11111111111,Applet Java String value =(1.1111111111E20)
Example code:
Test1.java
import java.applet.Applet;
public class Test1 extends Applet {
public void init() {
public String stringTest(String str) {
String out = "Applet Java String value =(" + str + ")";
return(out);
index.html
<html>
<body>
<APPLET CODE="Test1.class" NAME="test1" WIDTH="0" HEIGHT="0">
<PARAM NAME="scriptable" Number="true">
</APPLET>
<script type="text/javascript">
var x;
document.write("<BR>")
x = Number("1");
document.write("lang="+navigator.userLanguage +",javascript Number=" x "," + document.test1.stringTest(x)+"<BR>");
document.write("<BR>copy/paste the above 2 lines of code, adding an additional '1'<BR>");
</script>
</body>
</html>
</html>

Answer 1

I have found a workaround by setting the locale in the applet to a locale that does perform implicit Number to String conversion correctly.
e.g.
public void init() {
try {
Locale.setDefault(Locale.US);
} catch (Exception e) {
System.err.println("Failed to set Locale, Caught Exception: " + e.getMessage());
and adding this line to the java.policy to prevent "access denied (java.util.PropertyPermission user.language write)" errors.
permission java.util.PropertyPermission "user.language", "read, write";