VM= (Java) Virtual Machine. What puzzles me is that a kern java crash triggered the Bug Report? to Apple on my machine. Too bad the safe boot didn't work. I also use Disk Utility's Repair Permissions after each upgrade.

Apple now has made the Java 1.4.2 Update available as a standalone installer http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/javaupdate.html if you want to reinstall.

btw--the new LW's have introduced Locale Preferencing, which also depends on reading the language you have set. I wonder if turning Locale Preferencing off (set the number in the prefs from 3 to 0) might make a difference. Perhaps the locale preferencing has triggered a bug in Java and non-latin scripts.

Roger can tell you more about java on Macs, and verdyp, though he doesn't use Macs, is the poster who knows the in and outs of java and international languages.