How Do I Chat Correctly?

Chatting via a CGI script and SQL data bank is possible, but it is hardly to be recommended (even though one comes across sites which employ this method.) The load on the computer is so high that there is little residual resources left for other jobs on the system.
For this reason, a client/server solution is the more preferred way, even though this has the distinct disadvantage of requiring the visitor to the site to download additional software (either in the form of a Java applet or even a chatclient for a particular operating system.) This might appear at a first glance to be somewhat cumbersome, however, this is more than compensated by the fact that hardly any CGI script can come close to providing the comfort offered by a real chat client.
For this reason, we only have a server/client based chat programme.

SpanielChat

SpanielChat has been entirely written in Java---both the client and the server---and this has been implemented as an applet.
Although the system load on the java server is low while the server is running, the complete Java Virtual Machine has to be started when java programmes are started, this requires significantly more resources.
Installing SpanielChat is easy. Unpack the programme and copy to a subdirectory in the web server.
If the directory is listed in $PATH, then

  >> java SpanielChatServer& 
  

One of the more notable characteristics of the chat client is the ease in which it can be used. Various topic related chat rooms are available which can also be closed, thus enabling the user to avoid unwanted guests. SpanielChatClient may be started in the appletviewer, which is a part of the JDK (Java Development Kit), which allows the user to chat without having to start the browser.

  >> appletviewer http://www.server.de/spanielchat/client.html&
  

Javachat

Javachat is purely a chat server and, as the name suggests, it has been written in Java. A special client is not required to chat on the server, rather, any old telnet programme is all that is required to connect up to the server.
Simply typing

  >> telnet my.server.de 6666
  

   #! /bin/sh
   # /sbin/init.d/nakenchat
  
   . /etc/rc.config
  
  
   # The echo return value for success (defined in /etc/rc.config).
   return=$rc_done
   case "$1" in
      start)
          echo -n "Starting service nakenchat"
          ## Start daemon with startproc(8). If this fails
          ## the echo return value is set appropriate.
          startproc /path/to/nakenchat1.0x/nakenchat -f /path/to/nakenchat1.0x || return=$rc_failed
          echo -e "$return"
          ;;
      stop)
          echo -n "Shutting down service nakenchat"
          ## Stop daemon with killproc(8) and if this fails
          ## set echo the echo return value.
          killproc -TERM /path/to/nakenchat1.0x/nakenchat || return=$rc_failed
          echo -e "$return"
          ;;
      restart)
          ## If first returns OK call the second, if first or
          ## second command fails, set echo return value.
          $0 stop  &&  $0 start  ||  return=$rc_failed
          ;;
      status)
          echo -n "Checking for service nakenchat: "
          ## Check status with checkproc(8), if process is running
          ## checkproc will return with exit status 0.
          checkproc /path/to/nakenchat1.0x/nakenchat && echo OK || echo No process
          ;;
      *)
          echo "Usage: $0 {start|stop|status|restart}"
          exit 1
          ;;
   esac
  
   # Inform the caller not only verbosely and set an exit status.
   test "$return" = "$rc_done" || exit 1
   exit 0
  

   #! /bin/sh
   case "$1" in
      start)
          echo -n "Starting service nakenchat"
  	/path/to/nakenchat1.0x/nakenchat -f /path/to/nakenchat1.0x
          ;;
      stop)
          echo -n "Shutting down service nakenchat"
          killname /path/to/nakenchat1.0x/nakenchat
          ;;
      restart)
          $0 stop  &&  $0 start  
          ;;
      *)
          echo "Usage: $0 {start|stop|restart}"
          exit 1
          ;;
   esac
   exit 0
  

OpenNaken

In the meantime, there is a substitute server available for Javachat and a TCL/TK version is available for the client.
This is called OpenNaken, and it runs under Linux just as easily as it does so under Windows, which is due to the availability of a TCL/TK toolkit for the Windows operating system.
Unfortunately the widespread use of TCL/TK enjoyed under Linux has not experienced quit the same popularity under the Windows operating system. Consequently, a visitor, who is using Windows, to the HTML page will have to download, on the one hand, Open Naken, and, on the other hand, the entire TCL/TK package.

It is on account of this that OpenNaken not the recommended programme is to be used in a homepage; here, the Java applet is more suitable, but for the user who would like to chat on a frequent basis---or, if the entire LAN communicates via the Nakenchat server---OpenNaken is to be recommended because it is fast and user friendly.

Links
   Homepage SpanielChat: http://www.searchspaniel.com/chatserver.html
   Homepage Javachat, Naken Chat und chatapplet: http://home.i1.net/~naken/nakenchat/
   Homepage Melange chat server: http://melange.terminal.at/
   Homepage OpenNaken: http://Daemon.netfirms.com

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