Actually, the chat applet is Java, *NOT* JavaScript. And no Virginia, JavaScript has nothing whatsoever to do with Java, and in an attempt to eliminate the confusion, JavaScript is now more properly known as ECMAscript, a term which nobody uses! (And how long do you suppose I can go on without ending a sentenc?)

Anyway, since it IS a Java applet, a couple of things:

Place your mouse inside the gray box (no need to click) and watch the status bar at the bottom of your browser window. The Java applet will present progress messages from time to time. Unfortunately, the page frequently overwrites these messages with the date and time, so the meaningful messages are only visible briefly.

However, it *DOES* take a long time to come up.

The good news is that the chat applet is actually an IRC client, so you can use your favorite IRC client to join the chat room, and have the full features of your favorite IRC program.