It still appears to change the "java" command. But it doesn't appear to let me run a jar from the command line (note: the jar exists, is executable, and nautilus had the file association of jar changed to "OpenJDK Java 7 Runtime" on the "Open With" tab of it's properties).
paulo@AIVAS-I:~$ sudo update-java-alternatives --set java-1.6.0-openjdk
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for appletviewer.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for apt.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for extcheck.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for idlj.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jar.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jarsigner.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for javac.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for javadoc.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for javah.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for javap.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for -javaplugin.so.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jconsole.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jdb.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jhat.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jinfo.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jmap.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jps.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jrunscript.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jsadebugd.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jstack.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jstat.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jstatd.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for native2ascii.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for policytool.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for rmic.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for schemagen.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for serialver.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for wsgen.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for wsimport.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for xjc.
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/appletviewer
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/apt
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/extcheck
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/idlj
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/jarsigner
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/jar
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/javac
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/javadoc
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/javah
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/javap
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/jconsole
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/jdb
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/jhat
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/jinfo
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/jmap
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/jps
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/jrunscript
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/jsadebugd
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/jstack
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/jstatd
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/jstat
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/native2ascii
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/rmic
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/schemagen
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/serialver
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/wsgen
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/wsimport
update-java-alternatives: jdk alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-6-openjdk/bin/xjc
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for policytool.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for -javaplugin.so.
paulo@AIVAS-I:~$ java -version
java version "1.6.0_23"
OpenJDK Runtime Environment (IcedTea6 1.11pre) (6b23~pre11-0ubuntu1.11.10)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 20.0-b11, mixed mode)
paulo@AIVAS-I:~$ sudo update-java-alternatives --set java-1.7.0-openjdk-amd64
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for appletviewer.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for apt.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for extcheck.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for idlj.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jar.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jarsigner.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for javac.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for javadoc.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for javah.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for javap.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for -javaplugin.so.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jconsole.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jdb.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jhat.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jinfo.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jmap.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jps.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jrunscript.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jsadebugd.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jstack.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jstat.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jstatd.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for native2ascii.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for policytool.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for rmic.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for schemagen.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for serialver.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for wsgen.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for wsimport.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for xjc.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for appletviewer.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for apt.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for extcheck.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for idlj.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jarsigner.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jar.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for javac.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for javadoc.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for javah.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for javap.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jconsole.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jdb.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jhat.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jinfo.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jmap.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jps.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jrunscript.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jsadebugd.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jstack.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jstatd.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for jstat.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for native2ascii.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for rmic.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for schemagen.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for serialver.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for wsgen.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for wsimport.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for xjc.
update-alternatives: error: no alternatives for policytool.
update-java-alternatives: plugin alternative does not exist: /usr/lib/jvm/java-7-openjdk-amd64/jre/lib/amd64/IcedTeaPlugin.so
paulo@AIVAS-I:~$ java -version
java version "1.7.0_147-icedtea"
OpenJDK Runtime Environment (IcedTea7 2.0) (7~b147-2.0-0ubuntu0.11.10.1)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 21.0-b17, mixed mode)
paulo@AIVAS-I:~$ /home/paulo/NetBeansProjects/BookJar/dist/BookJar.jar
can't locate java: No such file or directory
paulo@AIVAS-I:~$
ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: java-common 0.42ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-14.23-generic 3.0.9
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-14-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: fglrx
ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu4
Architecture: amd64
Date: Mon Dec 26 04:50:05 2011
Dependencies:
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release amd64 (20111012)
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
PATH=(custom, no user)
LANG=en_US.UTF-8
SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: java-common
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
also, the jar runs (just with the filename) if the jdk 6 alternative is left on.