HELP! I CANNOT CONNECT!

There are several possibilities:

• You might not have the latest Java Runtime Environment installed. (A little red cross where the chat applet (room) should be.) Go to http://www.java.com to get the latest version. Since 2007/07 Chat27 has a CGI option on some indicated chat rooms that don’t require java, though java is still advised.
   
• When the popup window first appears and asks you for granting permission, you might have chosen the wrong options. Without such permission, the applet will not be able to connect to any IRC servers around the world. You will be presented with one or both of the popups below. They differ in subtle ways, but it’s important to click the correct button in order to allow the program to connect:

  
  POPUP 1
  This popup should present itself only once if you select the correct options below:
  

  
  POPUP 2
  This popup will present itself each time you start a new browser session:
  

• You might be behind a firewall and cannot connect to IRC servers outside. It means that the CHAT27 applet can only connect to IRC servers inside your local network if you are behind company’s firewall. Currently, CHAT27 supports proxy connections (experimental) via the “Advanced Users” section in the channel list. Since 2007/07 Chat27 has a CGI option on some indicated chat rooms that bypass most firewalls.
   
• You might be using very old version of IE or Netscape. Only IE4 or above and Netscape 4.08 or above is supported by our chat applet. To view what version you’re using, go to the top menu of your browser, and choose “Help” and then “About…”
   
• Some IRC servers deny connection from some ISP domains (due to abuse or flooding coming from that domain). For example, some IRC servers do not allow AOL users to connect. And some IRC servers require you to have Identd installed and running on your computer (Identd is included in jIRC, and it is turn on by default). There are thousands of public IRC servers available, you can always find one that is friendly to your environment.
   
• Mobile devices are currently not supported. As there is a huge variety of mobile hardware and software variations, I don’t expect that we’ll be supporting mobile connections in the foreseeable future. A website on Since our mobile visitors are increasing, I thought it was time to at least address the issue on http://mobile.chat27.co.za/ has however been created to notify mobile visitors of this. I expect mobile technology to catch up with chat27 software before the alternative happens.