As you probably may know, the version of java that deliver best results by now (26/09/2013) is version 1.8, which is in beta stage.

I've followed the steps in here to have it installed:

http://www.geekytheory.com/tutorial-raspberry-pi-11-como-instalar-java/

To make java available as command to all users, just edit the /etc/profile file:

#rlunaro
PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/java/bin
export PATH

JAVA_HOME="/usr/local/java"
export JAVA_HOME