Using Mysql connector/J

Hi,


I'm trying to set up a small java app that will connect to a mysql database. I'm trying to learn how to write database applications. At the moment the code is very simple as I'm just trying to create a db connection.
The Code:

[PHP]
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JApplet;
import java.applet.AppletContext;
import java.awt.Container;
import javax.swing.SwingConstants;
import java.sql.Connection;
import java.sql.DriverManager;
import java.sql.SQLException;
import javax.swing.JTextArea;
import java.awt.GridBagLayout;
import java.awt.GridBagConstraints;
import org.gjt.mm.mysql.Driver;

public class Phonebook extends JApplet
{

public String testConnection()
{
String output;

try
{
try
{
Class.forName("com.mysql.jdbc.Driver").newInstance();
}
catch(ClassNotFoundException cnfe)
{
output = "Failed to load database driver - Class Not Found Exception";
System.out.println("\n\n\n" + cnfe + "\n\n\n");
return output;
}
catch(ExceptionInInitializerError eiie)
{
output = "Failed to load database driver - Exception In Initializer Error";
return output;
}
catch(InstantiationException ie)
{
output = "Failed to load database driver - Instantiation Exception";
return output;
}
catch(IllegalAccessException iae)
{
output = "Failed to load database driver - Illegal Access Exception";
return output;
}


Connection con = DriverManager.getConnection ("jdbc:mysql://localhost/phonebook", "pbook", "L0g1n");
output = "Connection to database successful";

}
catch(SQLException sqle)
{
output = "Failed to make database connection - SQL Exception";
}

return output;
}

public void init()
{
String status = "Update Pending . . .";
Container contentPane = getContentPane();
JPanel mainPanel = new JPanel();
JTextArea jta = new JTextArea(status, 40, 10);

GridBagLayout gridbag = new GridBagLayout();
GridBagConstraints gbcs = new GridBagConstraints();
mainPanel.setLayout(gridbag);
gbcs.fill = GridBagConstraints.BOTH;
gbcs.weightx = 1.0;
gridbag.setConstraints(jta, gbcs);
mainPanel.add(jta);

status = this.testConnection();
jta.setText(status);

contentPane.add(mainPanel );
}
}[/PHP]
When I compile and try to run this using the appletviewer I get the following error,

java.lang.ExceptionInInitializerError
at com.mysql.jdbc.Connection.<init>(Connection.java:1176)
at com.mysql.jdbc.NonRegisteringDriver.connect(NonRegisteringDriver.java
:266)
at java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(DriverManager.java:525)
at java.sql.DriverManager.getConnection(DriverManager.java:171)
at Phonebook.testConnection(Phonebook.java:52)
at Phonebook.init(Phonebook.java:79)
at sun.applet.AppletPanel.run(AppletPanel.java:374)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:595)
Caused by: java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to initialize character set mappin
g tables
at com.mysql.jdbc.CharsetMapping.<clinit>(CharsetMapping.java:73)
... 8 more

Now I've looked this bug up Here and apparently there Is a patch.
The thing is I can't figure out from this patch what I need to do to make it work.

Can anyone here help me out with getting this to work?