Directly Connect Application to Server?

[Yorkiebar14]

Hello,

First off, this is probably not the right section, but the question is asking which language I should choose... so I don't know which forum topic it should go under...

I am looking for a solution which would allow someone using an online panel running on my web server to connect with a Windows application that someone else may be running. Think of it as a chat system where someone would be able to go online and send a message to someone using the desktop client.

I have thought about using Javascript, but it's a browser side language which I'm sure isn't even able to edit files on the server to store the chat logs. PHP would require the user to keep refreshing the page to see the latest chat logs. And, the application would have to keep checking back in a timely mannor to check for new chat messages.

So my questions are;
How can I connect a web server to a Windows application.
How can I make the Windows application update once a new chat message is sent from the online panel (and vice versa).
Which languages would be capable of this?
Links to external sources/explanations would be great.

Thanks!

[veedeoo]

You can use JAVA. Regardless which language you use, they all do some kind of refreshing. If not, how can the application post and recieve messages?

PHP don't need to refresh the entire page for the chat. Ajax can be utilize to do the posting and receiving messages to and from the server.

So, still PHP qualifies for the instant messaging if you are looking for a browser base chat system.

For desktop type application, try JAVA and C++.

[Yorkiebar14]

You can use JAVA. Regardless which language you use, they all do some kind of refreshing. If not, how can the application post and recieve messages?

By this do you mean I can use Java as my web server side as well as my application side?
I'm using a web hosting package as opposed to a VPS, is that a problem?

Also, do you have any references I could use.
Thanks.

[veedeoo]

By this do you mean I can use Java as my web server side as well as my application side?

There is an open source called Apache Tomcat. Have you heard about it? It is an open source implementation of the Java Servlet and JavaServer Pages.

If you want to develop this type of application, you can download XAMPP to test your application locally. You will have to host it on a server with a TomCat installed. Otherwise, a VPS is highly recommended.

This isn't really hard to do. I once hosted a Java written application on a thumb drive connected to my laptop's USB when I was an undergraduate student over my school's wireless network ssssh ... I must have said too much already... :)