What percentage of browsers are flash enabled? What are the latest
statistics on browser settings for flash and java script?

Both Macromedia's Flash and Javascript have near universal use.

By August, 1999, Websidestory, a research company that tracks web
browser statistics, had given Flash 64% of U.S. installations.  That
supports Macromedia's claims that 98 percent of online users have
installed the plug-in to use flash in its press release, "Macromedia
Unveils Macromedia Flash MX" (March 4, 2002):
http://www.macromedia.com/macromedia/proom/pr/2002/flash_mx_ships.html

Macromedia notes that there are more than 2 million downloads
Macromedia Flash Player every day -- which would provide two copies of
Flash each year for every active on-line user, if we use Nielsen's
measure of the number of on-line users.  Nielsen's Global Internet
usage study for June indicates that there are 390 million active
Internet users worldwide:
http://www.nielsen-netratings.com/

Javascript is enabled by default in most browsers, particularly
Netscape and Internet Explorer, so we'd expect its use to be even more
widespread than a plug-in that needs be downloaded like Flash.

Indeed, Web Developer's Virtual Library, in comparing the top 10
Internet websites (AOL. Yahoo, MSN, Microsoft, Amazon, Lycos, About,
Google, Disney) notes that all are using Javascript, implying a very
high percentage of users are too.  The article is titled "Top 10 Sites
Compared," by Andrew Starling (Jan. 7, 2002):
http://wdvl.internet.com/Authoring/Design/TopTen2001/ten2.html

Sampling from Internet on Javascript being enabled from TheCounter.net
shows that Java is disabled less than 1% of the time.  You may find
this page interesting because it also indicates a breakdown of
versions of Java supported :
http://www.the-counter.net/cgi-bin/stats-bin/reports/browsers.cgi?days=7&email=e%5Deno-h%5Dtopsupr%5Btecutrnt

Two research services, Websidestory's Statmarket report tracks
versions of Javascript enabled.  You may find descriptions of their
commercial services interesting:
http://www.statmarket.com/cgi-bin/sm.cgi?sm&serv_info&features

Google search strategy:
Javascript + browsers
"Java status" + browsers
"Macromedia Flash" + browsers

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

Exactly what I was looking for! Thank you! I recommend this researcher highly! :)

Thanks for your comments toxica!  I was curious myself about the
extent of Flash installation and was surprised by the answers.  Even
after quickly finding Macromedia's numbers on their website, I found
it hard to believe that Flash was so widely installed because I was
already familiar with critiques like this one:
http://www.dack.com/web/flash_evil.html

If you're curious about criticism of how Flash is implemented, there's
this Google search strategy which will yield hundreds of pages:
"I hate Flash"

It was a great question.  Thanks again!