While researching something else, I came across a fix for some Java problems on the Macs with OS X. If simply downloading/installing a new browser (I tried Mozilla) doesn't help you to load the applets, this may be of interest to you.

Apparently, the OS X system will only allow the Safari browser to access the latest java plugin. All other browsers are defaulted to the 1.3.1 version. One developer has a fix for this that can be found here: http://javaplugin.sourceforge.net/ PLEASE NOTE: The fix is a beta version so be sure to read the readme file.

I just finished installing this update and am now happy to report that I can succesfully view the applets in Mozilla. :)

Thanks for the info.