I’ve written about this before, and after all it is fairly (no, very) esoteric. Java Web Start is Java’s approach to installation and distribution and updating of Java desktop applications.
It’s a really nice idea but it just is too full of problems. With a small project like BlogBridge, I guess it saves us some work, and so we use it, warts and all. Anyway, here is a bit that I found that articulatesin great gory detail all the problems. I concur and I suffer with you.