Yahoo Groups – help on sound!

Yahoo! Groups chat requires the following:
a personal computer running Microsoft Windows 95, 98, NT, or 2000
Microsoft Internet Explorer (version 4.0 or later)

Hi there Lost1.
I guess it’s the quote above that leads you to guess that XP is not supported ?
I’m not certain, but I assume that that text was written before XP was even heard of (who the heck has LESS than I.E. *4* these days !?!), and that XP can probably handle it fine.

However, to my astonishment, I’ve just confirmed your point. Using W98 I can use voice easily in Y!Groups, but using XP I simply get no voice controls showing.
Yet I’ve just been in a public Y!Group (“VoiceChat”, “Chatterbox”) chat room using my W98 and heard quite a number of people using voice – when I asked they told me they WERE on XP…. but just never told me how! 🙁

I wonder if maybe it works only with MS Java, and not with Sun Java ??
Anyway, *I*’d like to know the answer too now !!

Thanks Tinethle – very helpful 🙂

I’ve now searched further, and THIS long thread in another forum seems to pretty much confirm that Group voice chat DOES need the (old) MS Java version, and does NOT work with the Sun one.

There’s also something there suggesting Yahoo are aware of the problem, and looking at remedying it… but…. don’t bother holding your breath, I’d say 😉

So, Lost1, I guess you need to follow Tinethle’s link and go get the MS one… but….. personally I think you’re flogging a dead horse, as more and more people are going to be unable to use voice in those Groups anyway.

(I used to use them some years ago, but drifted away. Now, I have a new PC, with Sun Java, and I sure can’t be bothered going to the not inconsiderable trouble of setting up the MS one just for YGroups – and there will be many others like me.)

I’d suggest either get all your Group Members on your YM buddy list, then set up a voice-enabled conference for them there whenever you like (but each would need a specific invite every time)…. or maybe move the whole kaboodle to somewhere like PalTalk, that DOES support proper voice groups.

Any help ?

**Later: I found THIS Yahoo Help page which at least is new enough to mention XP, and even Sun …. but I still think it’s a dead horse! 🙁

You can’t get sound using the browser page in Yahoo Groups. You will have to tag yourself with another ID or somebody else’s ID in that group chat room, using messenger or another chat client that supports voice.

I agree with Lost, Stu – I can’t understand a word of your post there. Surely the problem is simply that Groups chat voice does NOT WORK with Sun Java, no matter what Yahoo id one uses ???

Sorry about not having been clear. Since some of you are unable to get Yahoo to allow you voice directly through Yahoo Groups. No voice option/button is available, this is known. This is from Microsoft being jerks and not supporting Java anymore, but also the same versions of programs for different operating systems do not support the same features. Just look at 2000/XP and 95/98 Messengers, you get the quick view of profiles on the NT kernel. Also on XP you are able to multiple voice connections. And forget about having decent features if you are using a Mac or Unix/Linux, which are still Java based, and have no voice available at all without using a Window emulator for Yahoo. Now to fix the problem with your webpage browser you have 2 options.

Downdate your Java VM to Microsoft’s version, just as Kiwi and Tinethle have said. This will allow you to use Yahoo’s Chat 1.3 build beyond the 174 that is currently installed on your machine. Since the newer builds are not compatible with the Sun Microsystem Java release. But installing Java on XP is not recommended, because of the lack of support from Microsoft and the way they seem to go out of their way to screw up programs that compete with them.

So the way to get around not getting voice through the web page chat link on the Yahoo Groups, which is the problem that was listed, without messing with your Java VM is simply to;

Goto the Yahoo Group Homepage, click on the CHAT link, it should create a room.

Now this is were some people are having a problem of not having voice options. You open up your Yahoo Messenger and enter into Chat and type “/follow” your first ID using an alternate ID you have. (Type “/help” in the chat room if you are not sure how to use the /follow command). You then should have voice available in Messenger. Then just log out the ID that you used to open the room.

Hey Tinethle there is no need to apologize, I understood your answer. Your responses are always dead on, keep up the good work. And its Microsoft’s and Sun’s fault for not playing nice. And Yahoo’s also for not coming up with a solution for Java voice support. I would love to chat using my Mac but chatting in Java without voice, bites.