Some Tech info on Yahoo Chat:

Not surprising, some of you are having problems with the Yahoo Chat that is used by Yahoo Groups. (It is different then the Yahoo IM chat.) This comes from the fact that Yahoo (for whatever reason (???)) uses the Java code in Microsoft VM (Virtual Machine) Totally confused? You should be! To make matters worse, Sun Microsystems (creators of Java) and Microsoft just had a real big fight! Microsoft lost, and you know how they get when that happens! Billy ordered all new PC's shipped after 3/1/03 to have the Java code stripped out of them, AND that Microsoft would no longer provide any help with everything out there regarding Java. Now, much like a Scooby Mystery, the plot thickens... Yahoo will not work on the Java written by Sun, only the modified Java that was included in the Microsoft version! Why? Jinkies! I have no idea! But until Yahoo straightens things out, here are a few things to know about Yahoo Groups Chat:

1) Chat must load two Java applets in order to work.  If it doesn't, or the load fails, chat will not work. You can try deleting your temp internet files, cookies, and then reloading chat.

2) Your Microsoft VM must be switched on. You can find this under Tools: Internet Options: Advanced: Checkbox under Microsoft VM, listing "JIT compiler for virtual machine enabled " should be checked.

Chat-room Bounces - The code was written without the expatiation of prolonged chat! When the applet runs, it set up a buffer to hold the text. Once the buffer fills and overflows, the chat code crashes. It is actually quite predictable. Watch the scroll bar at the right of your screen, as the buffer fills, the bar
will become smaller and smaller. When it gets to a certain size it crashes. The size will vary slightly depending if you are interactive, or just watching. To avoid the crash, click on "chat" when your scroll bar has gotten too small. This will re-run the applet and clear the buffer. Blame the lack of a fix on the Sun / Microsoft war. To fix the problem, Yahoo would have to start from scratch, then debug the new product. I don't think they want to make the investment for a product they give away. 99% of the rooms probably do not experience any problems as there is little prolonged chat. I am sure that at some point they will opt for a fix, but I must admit it is getting tiresome.