What is the next-generation Java Plug-in and how can i switch between the old Java plug-in and new Java plug-in?

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What is next-generation Java Plug-in and how can I switch between the old Java plug-in and new Java plug-in?

This article applies to:

Platform(s): Windows 7, Vista, Windows XP, Macintosh OS X
Browser(s): Internet Explorer, Firefox
Java version(s): 6.0

Java 6 Update 10 (6u10) includes a brand-new implementation of the Java Plug-in, which is used by default as long as you are using Firefox 3 or Internet Explorer. Applets instead of being executed in a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) instance embedded in the web browser's process, are run in separate JVM instances which are launched by the plug-in's code. As a result the next-generation plug-in runs applets outside of the browser in one or more separate processes. Applets still appear inside of the web browser window, but now it is possible to use different Java versions and configurations to run different applets.

A new implementation of the Java Plug-In features:

Better Windows Vista support.
Improved reliability and user experience.
Improved Java/JavaScript communications.
Built-in JNLP support.

The Next-generation Java Plug-in - Windows

The next-generation Java Plug-in is enabled by default. However if there are issues running applets with the next-generation Java Plug-in, the user can switch to the old Java plug-in without any manual manipulation of the windows registry and moving files.

Steps to Enable or Disable Plug-in for the Internet Explorer browser

Go to Start > Control Panel > Java Control Panel > Advance tab > Java Plug-in
Select the check box for Enable next-generation Java Plug-in.
Click OK and restart the system.

Steps to Enable or Disable Plug-in for the Firefox 3.6 and above

Launch the Firefox browser
Click on the Tools > Add-ons Manager > Plugins > Java plugin
Click on the Enable button if the Java Plugin is disabled
Restart the browser

Note: Please visit Java Plug-in for Firefox for more information.

Enable or Disable next-generation Java Plug-in - Mac OS X

If there are problems viewing Java applets on Mac OS, make sure the next-generation Java Plug-in is enabled.
Note: By default the next-generation Java Plug-in is not enabled on Mac OS.

Steps to Enable Plug-in on Mac

Upgrade to latest version of Java for Mac OS.
Open Java Preferences application window.
Select setting Run applets: in their own process
Restart browser and try viewing the applet.