NYCPHP Meetup

[crisscott at netzero.com]

I am trying to figure out if there is a good way to make an instant messaging/chat program in php.  I don't want to create all of that traffic with unnecessary refreshes.  There is no point in updating the page if nobody has anything to say.  At the same time, I don't want users to have to wait 30 seconds between messages.  If I could get the users browser to refresh on my command that would pervent all of the unnecessary traffic.  I figure that any reasonably secure browser would ignore any headers it wasn't expecting, but is there a way to make the browser sit and wait for my command?  Or am I trying to do something browser developers spend all day trying to prevent?