This error means that you are trying to load a class with an older version of
Java that was compiled with a newer version. If I remember correctly, the class version numbers for the last few Java releases are as follows:
Java 1.3: 47.0
Java 1.4: 48.0
Java 5.0: 49.0
Java 6.0: 50.0
Your specific error message means that you have a class file that is compiled on JDK 1.4, and you are trying to run it on Java 1.3 or older.
It is possible to compile class files that are compatible with older versions of Java by specifying the "-target" switch on the command line, but note that this does not solve the problem completely; if you use classes, interfaces or methods in the standard API that are new to Java 1.4, you will get a ClassNotFoundException or NoSuchMethodException during runtime.
The best solution is to compile your source code with the JDK version that matches the target Java runtime version.
JDK 1.3 is still
available from the Sun website, but note it has gone EOL (End of Life) since December 2006, so it's time you upgrade to a newer version...
*edit*: Oh, I see that JDK 1.3 on that page is only for Solaris. I don't know if it's still available for other OS'es. But you are maybe using IBM's JDK instead of Sun's - have a look on IBM's website.
[ November 01, 2007: Message edited by: Jesper Young ]