The software update for Mac OS X 10.3.9 came out a couple of days ago, but for once I decided not to immediately install it. I then saw that some people had problems with Java breaking after the update. The problem could be checked by simply typing java -version on the command line and seeing if it works or fails.

Apple immediately published a workaround—basically just manually reinstalling two previous Java updates that got mangled by the 10.3.9 update.

Now Apple has an updater for 10.3.9 that does this automatically (official notes here). After installing 10.3.9, the Java update will appear to immediately fix the problem.

Time to take the plunge now...looking forward to the latest Safari improvements!