Hi curmudgeon.

I checked with someone who is using 10.5, and all worked well there.
Since Eclipse *may* use different parts of the JVM than LW, I guess it's a inconclusive test of your java install.

Can you get a Console (Applications/Utilities/Console) output of the error messages when LW starts up?

If you can, posting the output at LimeWire Forums is more likely to get the attention of the developers

cheers