I have constantly run into the problem of being unable to run the Minecraft launcher, and the new launcher is no exception. I have tried a number of things including restarting my computer and updating java, but the one thing I've found odd about it is that I run into no problems when using http://www.minecraft.net/play and its web interface. Even when I use the java console version of the launcher I run into the problem. So I've been trying to figure out how the web version works in order to apply the same method to open the new launcher. Here is what launches the old version of the Minecraft launcher:
<html>
<applet code="net.minecraft.Launcher" archive="https://s3.amazonaws.com/MinecraftDownload/launcher/MinecraftLauncher.jar?v=1367502965000" codebase="/game/" width="854" height="480">
<param name="separate_jvm" value="true">
<param name="java_arguments" value="-Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -Dsun.java2d.noddraw=true -Dsun.awt.noerasebackground=true -Dsun.java2d.d3d=false -Dsun.java2d.opengl=false -Dsun.java2d.pmoffscreen=false">
<param name="userName" value="(your username)">
<param name="latestVersion" value="1367502965000">
<param name="sessionId" value="(your sessonId)">
<param name="downloadTicket" value="(your downloadTicket)">
</applet>
</html>
And here is my attempt to create something that launches the new version:
<html>
<applet code="net.minecraft.bootstrap.Bootstrap" archive="http://www.minecraft.net/download/minecraft.jar" codebase="/game/" width="854" height="480">
<param name="separate_jvm" value="true">
<param name="java_arguments" value="-Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -Dsun.java2d.noddraw=true -Dsun.awt.noerasebackground=true -Dsun.java2d.d3d=false -Dsun.java2d.opengl=false -Dsun.java2d.pmoffscreen=false">
<param name="userName" value="(your username)">
<param name="latestVersion" value="1367502965000">
<param name="sessionId" value="(your sessonId)">
<param name="downloadTicket" value="(your downloadTicket)">
</applet>
</html>
This clearly doesn't work, and I'm hoping someone can find a way that does, so I can manage to play the new version on this computer.
archive="http://www.minecraftwiki.net/wiki/Minecraft.jar"
is bonkers. Load up that URL in your browser and you'll find that what you're trying to "run" is not any version Minecraft.