Have you ever written a chat program Robin? I have and the server worked well even if I say so myself. I wrote the server in C++. I did make a mistake with the client though - I'd not realised that Netscape made a distinction between an app and and applet so it gave "not an applet error".

It was only a bit of fun but I managed a 4 way chat once running over a dial up connection. The server was a P133.

The efficiency bit really is a no brainer nor is the speed. A browser refresh system has to rely on the browsers to request page refreshes and is timed. To suggest that a system that has to rely on a client to request a page and time that to some delay can be quicker is nonsense. Next thing you will be telling me is that such a system could host live talk...

Not really wanting an argument here but I don't accept what you have said at all.
Jon