Do IRC applets (or whatever you call it) slow down the server?

[ipporek]

Do IRC applets (like JPilot) slow down the server? A lot of people tell me it'll slow down the website. Is that true?
If not, any other applets/scripts/programs to recommend?

[Heng Chai]

IRC applets do not slow down the server. The client (visitor) will only download the java class from the server that's all. Connections after that is via the client to the IRC network directly.

[icelava]

Slow down the server in what sense? As SG.GS has mentioned it just downloads the applet classes from web server and that's it.

UNLESS you are running IRC server and web server on the same machine?

[libra]

It will slow down the site in the sense that the user has to wait for the java class to load. therefore it is advisable to place the chat client on a new page that users can navigate to. regarding to the slow down of the server, I do not think that is likely as the server stores the java script as if they were normal pages. just be careful if there are bandwidth concerns.

[ipporek]

Bandwidth concerns? Oh ya, using the applet to chat will it incur bandwidth?

[Heng Chai]

Bandwidth on the visitor's site to connect to the IRC server. There will not be bandwidth concerns on the webserver after the applet has been downloaded.

[fred]

Bandwidth concern as in you are going to download a class file to your machine, same as you need to download the flash page before you can play it.

[libra]

yeap. fred explained it. its unlikely a irc class will take up too much though.

[ipporek]

So it usually is a 1-time affair then, right?

[biggulp]

unless its cached in the user's harddisk. when the applet is downloaded it uses bandwidth.

[libra]

which is possible, since chat applets aren't that big. very likely to be cached unless you are like me who sets my cache to 0. :)