[cmt]

I got my son an Rev/B iMac a few months back, and it has been working like a champ, with one exception. Any time we try to load a web page with a Java applet, the poor thing goes insane. It starts pounding the daylights out of the hard disk, and the entire machine crawls to a virtual halt. I tried loading the looping weather radar picture for my area on weather.com, and the poor thing took almost 20 minutes before the applet started running. This, in spite of the fact that we have a cable modem! Once the applet does load, the poor iMac just keeps pounding on the hard drive to the point that everything else comes to a halt. I have to re-start the poor thing to get its mind back.

I have changes memory settings (both VM and the allocation for IE5), I have reloaded the latest MRJ. I have changed every preference in IE5, and still no luck. I have been using Macs since the IIcx, and I have tried every trick I know.

It is stock Rev/B (233/32) with VM set to 56 meg, running IE5, MRJ 2.2.2, and OS 8.6.

Anyone have any suggestions?

[Veerle]

Java is not so hot on the Mac at the moment, we will have to wait untill MacOS X is there before it gets any better. Java is slow even on a brand new G4. The only thing you can do is giving explorer some more memory.

[yoyo52]

If you have Netscape on your HD, try that for a while and see how it works. I must say that I haven't had those kinds of problems with my Macs and IE, however.

[Veerle]

Just try the same site with Java on a PC and you will the difference in speed even when using Netscape, but all that should be fixed with MacOS X. I can't wait.

[cmt]

Thanks for the tips. I was thinking about trying Netscape. I may give that a try to see if it helps. The thing that makes me wonder is the way the poor iMac beats the heck out of its hard drive when trying to run Java. It almost acts like some kind of memory issue. I'd try it with VM off, but with only 32 meg, I can't run Explorer. I have been planning a memory upgrade anyway, I guess now is the time.

Thanks to those who replied. If anyone else has any ideas I'd still love to hear them.

[wlonh]

buy 128M of RAM pronto and you and your Mac will sing hosannahs! you WILL get religion, if you do not have it already...

[dark3lf]

Java sux with IE5. Half the time, it just plain won't work, and the other half, it's finicky and dog slow.

What I really dislike are the Java banner ads like 'Punch the Monkey' which takes FOREVER to load on my >>G4<< even. I wish they would get rid of Java banner ads altogether.

[wlonh]

well you can try jumping the RAM allocation up for IE and hey why not the applet runner too for the heck of it... maybe you have done so already, if so then sorry for the redundancy

[cmt]

Well, I installed a 128 meg ram chip tonight, boosting the total ram to 160 meg. Low and behold, she runs like a champ. I have VM set to a total of 161 meg, and things are running much better. Pages that would not load at all, are at least loading and running as expected. Not lighting fast by any means, but the poor little iMac is no longer pounding the daylights out of its hard drive when running Java applets.

So, It looks like the recommendation to add memory was the trick.

Thanks to all who replied. I am grateful for the advice.