The web page only shows a gray square, with a little red X:
You need a Java VM. See the intro page for more info on that and how to fix the problem.
When you try to connect you get:
Unable to connect : java.net.ConnectException :
Connection refused
or
Unable to connect :
java.security.AccessControlException : access denied
and similar connection errors, it is telling you that the IRCD (IRC Chat server) is refusing your connection, or else you are unable to connect to it.
or you can get this one:
Unable to connect:null
which means you couldn't connect, but can be caused by many causes like:
If you can't seem to connect to any of the servers we chose, you can always use the /server command, like a regular IRC client. Dalnet's home page has a list of current servers here. For this example, let's say we chose to try using jade.va.us.dal.net, then the command to connect to it would be (press ENTER after any commands):
/server jade.va.us.dal.net
If you'd like to change your nick (the "name" you go by on the chat) use the /nick command followed by the nick of your choice. i.e.:
/nick something123
There is a 30 character limit to nicks, and the use of characters is limited to letters, numbers, and a few extra characters. Also, there are "services" on Dalnet (i.e.: nickserv) that let people register their nicks so nobody else can use them. If you end up choosing a new nick that happens to be registered to somebody else, you will have to find a new one, or the server will change it for you to Guest instead.
For more help on IRC commands, there is a lot of information on the web (Dalnet's home page, IRC client's help files, and a thousands of websites you can find with your preferred search engine).
©2005 Incontinence Support Center