If Your Browser Won't Start the Application

Some browsers have to be configured manually to recognize Java Web Start applications.  The browser has to associate the mime-type application/x-java-jnlp-file with the Java Web Start application javaws; sometimes Java Web Start is able to make this association itself when it installs, and sometimes not.  If you are running Galeon, Konqueror or Firefox, detailed instructions follow.  If you are running another kind of browser, I don't have detailed instructions available but you can use this information as a guide in conjunction with your browser's instructions.  If you are still having trouble, you can try running from the command line.  When you get this working, your browser will be compatible not only with Mars Mola Viewer, but with many other Java Web Start applications that are becoming available.

Determine The Location of the Java Web Start Executable

Whichever browser you need to configure, you will need to know the location of the executable for Java Web Start that installs with the Java runtime.
The executable will probably be in C:\Program Files\Java\j2reXXX\javaws\javaws.exe, where XXX is the version number of the Java VM you have downloaded. Use Windows Explorer to confirm this location.
The executable will be in the javaws directory below the base directory of the Java installation.  Typically, the base directory will be something like /usr/local/j2reXXX, where XXX is the version number of the Java VM how have installed.  If you have Java 1.4.0, the location of the Java Web Start executable then will be /usr/local/j2re1.4.0/javaws/javaws.

Firefox

Konqueror

Select Configure Konqueror... from the Settings menu.
Settings Menu


Select the File Associations icon and then press the Add... button.
SettingsWindow

On the ensuing dialog, select the Group application from the drop-down window, and enter the type x-java-jnlp-file:
Create new file type dialog

This will take you to the KDE File Associations settings page.  On the General tab, enter the description Java Web Start; then press the Add... button in the Application Preference Order group (Note: not the Add... button in the Filename Patterns group).
File Associations Dialog

This will open the Choose Application dialog.  Enter the path to the javaws application or browse to it.
Choose Application Dialog

Then just click OK on this dialog and the settings dialog and you're done.

Galeon

Select Preferences... from the Settings menu.
Settings Menu

Press the Handlers button, and then select the MIME Types icon.  Press the New button to create a new MIME type.  Enter application/x-java-jnlp-file as the MIME type.  Select Run with helper.  To specify the helper, the the path to the javaws application or browse to it.
Galeon Settings Dialog

Close the settings dialog and you're done.

Running From the Command Line

You can also run Java Web Start from the command line. Some browsers (older versions of Mozilla) can't be made to recognize the required mime-type, leaving you no choice but to run Mars Mola Viewer from the command line.  First, determine the location of the Java Web Start executable on your machine. Then, use the command:
 
location-of-executable http://www.antlersoft.com/cgi-bin/mars/webstart.pl
You can run the command-line either from a Command prompt or from the Run... dialog box you can select from the Start menu.  Put the location of the javaws application in quotation marks.  An example command line might be:
"C:\Program Files\Java Web Start\javaws.exe" http://www.antlersoft.com/cgi-bin/mars/webstart.pl
Windows Run... dialog
Use the javaws command at the shell prompt.  For example:
Linux shell prompt