URL.openStream() works in Windows but not in Linux

Question

I am having a problem with this line:
BufferedReader in = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(url.openStream()));
in the code sample further below.
A simple program using this line works when compiled in my Windows XP:
java version "1.6.0_03"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_03-b05)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.6.0_03-b05, mixed mode, sharing)
but not when compiled on my RedHat FC 4 server:
java version "1.4.2"
gij (GNU libgcj) version 4.0.2 20051125 (Red Hat 4.0.2-8)
The program (making using of a previous froum example and pared down to minimize tangent topics):
The code works for all 3 URLs in Windows. In Linux it only works for the 1st one (bbc.co site)
Error is listed below the code:
import java.net.*;
import java.io.*;
public class BBC {
public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception
//    URL url = new URL("http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/6205747.stm");
//    URL url = new URL("http://www.weatherunderground.com/global/stations/71265.html");
    URL url = new URL("http://www.weatherunderground.com");
    BufferedReader in = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(url.openStream()));
    int nLineCnt = 0;
    String inputLine;
    while ((inputLine = in.readLine()) != null)
        nLineCnt++;
    System.out.println("nLineCnt=" + nLineCnt);
//--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Exception in thread "main" java.lang.StringIndexOutOfBoundsException
at java.lang.String.substring(int, int) (/usr/lib/libgcj.so.6.0.0)
at gnu.java.net.protocol.http.Request.readResponse(gnu.java.net.LineInputStream) (/usr/lib/libgcj.so.6.0.0)
at gnu.java.net.protocol.http.Request.dispatch() (/usr/lib/libgcj.so.6.0.0)
at gnu.java.net.protocol.http.HTTPURLConnection.connect() (/usr/lib/libgcj.so.6.0.0)
at gnu.java.net.protocol.http.HTTPURLConnection.getInputStream() (/usr/lib/libgcj.so.6.0.0)
at java.net.URL.openStream() (/usr/lib/libgcj.so.6.0.0)
at BBC.main(java.lang.String[]) (Unknown Source)
at gnu.java.lang.MainThread.call_main() (/usr/lib/libgcj.so.6.0.0)
at gnu.java.lang.MainThread.run() (/usr/lib/libgcj.so.6.0.0)
Can anyone please suggest what I can do to be able to process the weatherunderground URL?
Claude

Answer 1

To me it would suggest a bug in the VM that you are using.
Solutions
1. Use a different VM
2. Write your own code to process the http code. Depending on licensing for the VM in use and the VM itself. you might be
able to find the bug in that code, fix it yourself, and then use your fix (start up command line options for VM.) Otherwise
you have to duplicate the functionality. You might look to jakarta commons, there might be code there that does that.