BuddyPress.org

Michael-

I looks like you have your answer. Without mod_rewrite enabled, you will have issues using WPMU on your Yahoo! Hosting account. Please set the light to green on top as your question has been resolved.

Now, on to your final question:

I’m still confused….you said that MU doesn’t need a .htaccess file to work, but your last sentence states that if I continued to have issues, then I should switch to a host that does allow .htaccess files. Sounds to me like MU does need a .htaccess file for the same reason you stated stated…for the permalink rewrite rules.

The reason I said switch to a hosting firm that allows, and supports, .htaccess files is because it is the simplest proposition. Since most WPMU installs are on servers running Apache, and WPMU comes with a prewritten .htaccess file, it is the best choice for most users. Unless you are comfortable installing and configuring your own web server platform, your best alternative is to stick with Apache which is the de facto web serving platform the vast majority of hosting firms offer clients.

Now, as I stated, WPMU does not require a .htaccess file to operate properly. People run WPMU on LightTPD and Nginx web serving platforms. These two platforms do not support, do not use, .htaccess files. They cannot use .htaccess files. But, they can be configured to properly rewrite permalinks. The .htaccess file is not essential, not required, for WPMU to run properly. What is required is a facility to rewrite permalinks.