People may forget that other than the web site needs to access to the IRC server. The client machine also needs to access to the IRC server after the initial connection. All the IRC sessions are sent directly to the IRC server, not via the web pages!

zachery,
is there a hack to show either how many or who is in chat?
this would be a really cool addon for vbxirc.

Yes I agree however ive not found any very good solution to this issue.

I have pondered the idea of making my own chat application but it would be in flash if anything.

i've been on a site (phpBB 2.0.6) that shows how many are in chat.

Oh its possible, However I've not found any good solution to it that i am confortable with.

Current Options:
Add a new sessions table for just the chat, then record as users eneter it, however this will give a false ammount of users on the chat if they enter via their own client.

Egg Drop:
using a bot to report to the site, this can be done already with VeloCD's system

mIRC reporting:
again can already be done with VeloCD's hacks/

Can you go by the WOL? Wouldnt always be correct but hey....

If they continued browsing the board it would be useless.

True.. Wonder how some of these sites are doing it then.. I am a member of one site that used only java chat and it said X users in chat.. Topic (set by) right on the forum home...

Either Eggdrop or their java chat system was more than just a chat, as in it was also a server.

Had to have been something with the java because it wwasnt an eggdrop because you could only chat via the chat page...