Mac OS X & Java

First off, java and javascript are not related in any way. Your problem is most likely with your JVM installation. You may want to check which version you have (goto terminal and type java -version and post back here).

If you are current (1.4.2), you could try the latest Java 1.4.2 Update 1 Developer Preview 3 (found on ADC), but it may cause more probs than you need.

Your problems do sound worse than is typical on OS X, but I have to say that Java just really isn't that great on the Mac yet. Granted, Apple has come a long way since OS 9, but it still has a long way to go to catch up to Java on Windows. One of the main issues is performance...on a Mac, you can definitely tell if you are running a Java app because it is so slow, but on Windows this doesn't have to be the case. I think this is probably the problem you are having with applets--they just run too slow and it seems like the whole browser has stopped responding. However, none of this should affect JavaScript because, as one poster said, it is not related.

Hopefully Java in Tiger will be even better than it is in Panther.

I have rarely experienced problems with Java but those problems I've had on websites tend to be on those designed for Windows. The problems you're experienced do indeed seem worse than normal.

You might want to post some links and we could try to see if we get similar results.