I've been considering the idea of setting up a web page with an IRC client Java applet. Instead of guiding users through the rather involved process of downloading a client program and using slash-commands to get onto #astahost, a member could simply direct them to a link to click to open this applet. This applet would then automatically connect the user to #astahost on DALnet.

I've begun testing a Java IRC applet called PJIRC. This applet seems to be supported both on Internet Explorer and normal browsers. (The distinction here is that Internet Explorer will use .cab cabinet files instead of standard .jar Java archive files.) More importantly, here are some of the features that sound intriguing:

• No setup required by user
• Limited to DALnet
• Limited to the Xisto Network channels
• Can be banned by hostmask

I'm currently playing around with PJIRC to see whether it's worthwhile. Try the applet out on my webspace here: http://support.wmoy.astahost.com/.

Even if there is ultimately not enough of a demand for this type of thing to be necessary, I'd love to keep this applet up just to make it easier for the general Astahost population to find our channels should they need it. As such, please leave a message below if you can think of anything that should be changed, fixed, or modified right off the bat. Thanks in advance!

I don't mean to double-post, but editing has been disabled...so here goes.

An update: Nakulgupta has been able to give the site a quick run in Internet Explorer. I would assume that he might use Microsoft VM. In any case, he couldn't get the applet to run. If anyone else has a similar problem, or any other problem, I'm definately open to fixes. Meanwhile, I will go and check some of my HTML syntax there, to make sure I didn't make an obvious mistake

Thanks for pointing this out X-Wes. I've been thinking about implementing it for a while. I'd have gone for this other applet (unfortunately shareware) called JIRC - I used to use earlier - but this one seems better & free too Am trying it out in firefox and IE and if all goes well - we have it

In IE, the applet ran but could not connect citing "Unable to connect : java.security.AccessControlException : access denied (java.net.SocketPermission irc.dal.net resolve)". Question, what would be the difference between the IRC channel online and a regular chat program?

~Viz

Exactly my reason for using it ^_~ I've seen JIRC, but I tend to shy away from shareware where I can get away with using a free alternative.



Alright, let's try to tackle this by parts.

--- Long, boring details follow

According to the PJIRC website, the problem with IE can arise under one of two conditions. In one case, the security certificate with which PJIRC is signed is rejected by the user. This means that the user was presented with a dialog box and the user clicked "No". However, since this problem seems to be affecting both of you IE people, I'll assume that you replied "Yes" to any dialogs that appeared. (Correct me on this if I'm making a bad assumption... though I can't imagine why anyone would reject the certificate.)

The other possibility is that I am referring to the Internet Explorer packages in the wrong way. There are packages in .jar format for most browsers running Java. These .jar files come in two varieties described as "signed" and "unsigned". Since we don't have access to dal.net, we use the signed packages to tell the users' browsers that this is safe. However, the .cab files that IE uses contain both the signed and unsigned files. I will be looking into how to force Microsoft VM to use the files in signed mode.

--- End long, boring details

vizskywalker, the differences between using a Java applet to chat on IRC and using a program such as mIRC are rather minimal. The idea is the same: user runs a piece of software, the software connects to the IRC server and channel desired, and the software provides a user-interface for the user. The Java applet is downloaded to the user's computer when the user visits the web page, and this Java applet is run off of the user's computer (inside the browser).

The only major difference between using the Java applet (other than a really different user interface) is that there is no installation needed. You still fetch a program, run the program, and let the program connect your computer to the IRC network. It's just that the program is written in Java.

Well time to see if I can't fix that little IE snafu that has cropped up. Wish me luck!

Okay, first of all, I didn't install the certificate, I'm going to do another test today where I do (I don't remember why I didn't, but I had a reason). Second of all, just to make sure, if I am using mIRC and someone uses this Java IRC applet, we will see each other, correct? And also, if applets can't run network things except on the host system, is there a java application that runs in the background and relays the request for data thorugh ports? (Did that make any sense?)

~Viz

It works in Firefox with the Sun java machine. By the way, it's kinda slow in loading. The security warning might scare some people off, so using software clients is still a better idea to me.

Naah didn't make much sense.. are you talking about proxies/firewalls on your own system ? Coz this applet fails to connect if your own connection goes through a proxy/firewall. Keep in mind that this applet simply acts like mIRC - it downloads itself first and then tries to connect using whatever settings you have in your browser - but doesn't always succeed through proxies - as it is happening with me.

I'm going to get a certificate from Thawte and sign this applet digitally - so the warning will turn up as green and wouldn't scare anyone off. This is just a quick alternative to people to do not want to go through the extensive process of downloading clients and connecting. I don't know why it took a long time for some of you to download, but for me - over a 56.6kbps dialup connection - it downloaded in less than a minute !! The very fact of downloading a client just o join the channel is a big deterrent factor to many - for them this is the easiest way out. Besides, it takes a little bit longer only on the first occasion - after that the applet in cached and loads almost instantaneously for me - in Firefox.

Well that explains a fair bit =P Without the certificate, the Java applet is not allowed to connect to other servers (namely Dal.net). Agreeing to the certificate is, unfortunately, a must.

No, there is no application that relays the "stuff". A signed certificate, however, can grant permission for the applet to access other servers and such. The applet itself is just an application that could do all these things, but is limited due to security restrictions. A certificate allows the applet to do such restricted things.



First off, thanks for clarifying the reasoning behind the IRC applet, m^e. You've managed to state my original intention in more precise detail than I thought was even possible ;

Indeed, your idea sounds good--and as with all good ideas, it has been proposed by others as well. A small group of people on the PJIRC forums have suggested a method by which the applet could be signed. The process seems rather involved, so I have been procrastinating in applying it. If you do manage to beat me to the punch, m^e (or anyone else), I hope you'll find their forum topic useful. A link to this topic follows:

http://forum.pjirc.com/viewtopic.php?t=723

If I do manage to get this signage working, I'll be sure to post what I have done. Please feel free to do the same

Hi everyone, sorry for being MIA for such a long time. I've finally been able restrain my MapleStory addiction just slightly. As such, I have a little bit of news to report, and I would also like to ask for a bit of help from IE users.

I've managed to sign the applets (linked below), and I've been able to have them run much the same as they always have on Mozilla Firefox with Java 1.5.0. If a user were to actually read the box that pops up, that user would notice that this box is phrased slightly more trustingly to the applet. However, the box still appears.

I am wondering as to whether Internet Explorer running the Microsoft Virtual Machine would get a scary message box when attempting to use this applet. If you are running a copy of Windows older than XP with service pack 2, I'd really appreciate it if you could test this out. The link to the page with the applet is below.

Signed IRC applet

Also, would such an applet be useful if we must ask every user who uses it to accept the applet? Viz and others seem rather incredulous of using an applet to access the IRC channels, yet to former Yahoo! Chat users like myself, this idea is just fine. Is the dialog box really intimidating to such a degree?

Thanks in advance for your input; I'll continue to look for any other possibilities that may appear.

I'm not incredulous, but what I'd previously read (I'm relatively new to java) seemed to indicate it wasn't doable, and I just want to know how it is done so I can do it. I believe it works (at least if I could ever connect). I still get this error (this time with IE and accepting the certificate): Unable to connect : java.net.ConnectException : Connection timed out: connect

~Viz