Is it possible to run a Java applet in any browser in MacOS 10.9.2? Chrome does not work with Java applets because it's a 32 bit app and the Java plugin is 64 bit only. Firefox and Safari both should be able to use Oracle's Java plugin, but it does not seem to work.
The official java.com download from Oracle is "Version 7 Update 55". It installs via a .pkg installer but the plugin still does not work in Safari or Firefox. I did verify that /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/JavaAppletPlugin.plugin
exists, but it is not showing up in Safaris' list of plugins.
Oracle's installer adds a new "Java" system preference, with a security tab with a checkbox "Enable Java content in the browser". This is checked off. I check it on, click "Apply", and am prompted for my password. Then the dialog flashes and the box remains checked off. The plugin still does not work. I do note my console has a log line FAILURE: Job com.oracle.java.deployment.Helper is not loaded in launchd.
There is an unresolved bug against OpenJDK for this problem that may be why it's not working. It is several months old.
Some searching frequently turns up advice to re-enable Java 6. I really do not want to do this, but I am interested to know if it works in Mavericks.