As others have stated, Oracle is only supporting Java 7 on Mac OS X 10.7 and above. The openjdk-osx-build project was creating OpenJDK 7 builds for OS X 10.6, but has recently shuttered the operation. The build and package scripts were moved to the OBuildFactory project.
A new update labeled Java for OS X 2012-006 has been released for all versions of Mac OS X. The updates name is somewhat misleading however, in that instead of updating Java it actually uninstalls the Java applet plugin from all web browsers on the Mac. Next time, install Apple Java for Mac O. With 1-click. Learn how MacUpdate Desktop can install apps on MacUpdate with the simple click of the icon. Plus, keep all your apps updated.
This recent OBuildFactory post indicates there will be no further efforts to build OpenJDK 7 on OS X 10.6: It looks like rolling your own OpenJDK 7 got a lot harder. If you need Java 7, upgrading to OS X 10.8 is probably the easiest route (upgrade from the Mac App Store costs $19.99) - but your desktop will start looking and behaving more like a phone. If you have / will install Xcode 3.2.6 or 4.2 (4.2 requires a paid account or a little illegality, and I know it's a massive download), download the java 7 installer, extract the PKG from the DMG file, and open it in PackageMaker. Remove the version requirement string and rebuild the PKG file. It will now let you install Java 7!
Source: I did this on my 2006 Core 2 Duo iMac running Snow Leopard. Edit: the one thing that does not appear to work on snow leopard is the AWT libraries. There is a customized version of openJDK 7 that supposedly fixes the problem, but Java requires a truly herculean effort for me to compile - it's not very nice about following the./configure && make && make install structure that most programs use. The original place to get openJDK 7 for Snow Leopard was here: You used to be able to get JDK DMG's, but which the author decided for some reason to remove them (possibly they were out of date).
His page now links here: and this commit seems to fix the problems with AWT.
Just moments ago, Apple a new update for the Java framework for OS X 10.5 and 10.6. The updates are available now through Software Update, and are aimed providing enhancements in compatibility, reliability, and security.
The update weights in at about 76Mb. Below, please find the release notes: Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 5 Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 5 delivers improved compatibility, security, and reliability by updating Java SE 6 to 1.6.026. Please quit any web browsers and Java applications before installing this update. Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 10 Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 10 delivers improved compatibility, security, and reliability by updating J2SE 5.0 to 1.5.030, and updating Java SE 6 to 1.6.026 for 64-bit capable Intel-based Macs. J2SE 1.4.2 is no longer being updated to fix bugs or security issues and remains disabled by default in this update. Please quit any web browsers and Java applications before installing this update.
Java updates tend to be pretty important for security reasons, and I haven’t heard of any instances of Java updates doing any damage, so you’d be best advised to download and apply the update at your earliest convenience.