Z-ordering of JInternalFrame "MDI" windows under Windows look-and-feel doesn't work properly. To see the problem, simply 

1. run SwingSet under Windows look-and-feel.
2. create a few internal frame windows (say "Internal Frame 1" through "Internal Frame 4".
3. close the most recently created window ("Internal Frame 4").
4. Internal Frame 3 (the next frame in the stack) should then be on top, but instead Internal Frame 1 pops up! This is NOT the case with Java look-and-feel: only Windows look-and-feel.

It seems you are simply keeping internal frames in a list and if any internal frame is closed, the oldest frame created is shown.

This may seem like a trivial problem, but my users really hate this "feature". When you close a window, the next window in the stack should open.
(Review ID: 56491) 
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I could try to maintain the correct stack myself.
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Indeed, the internal frames seem to get activated in seemingly random order.
  xxxxx@xxxxx   1999-09-16




We can remove remapping of the actions that switch to next
and previous frame in WindowsDesktopPaneUI and leave the original from
BasicDesktopPaneUI. Also the wrong activation in BasicDesktopPaneUI is
fixed (third file)
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Even though this is an in-progress bug I cannot vote for it. What is up?

In JDK 1.3 this bug still seems to persist.
When will the fix be released?

Yes, this problem still exists in JDK1.3.

This bug exists even in JDK 1.3.1_02, but is fixed in 
1.4.0.rc

This bug exists even in JDK 1.3.1_02, but is fixed in 
1.4.0.rc