Having trouble connecting to the server using the Icontext applet? If your internet access is mediated by a firewall or a proxy server, some features may not be available. Specifically, the concurrent messaging between connected users is not possible.
Possible solutions:

1. Complain to the proper "authorities" that your access is being denied.
2. Connect through a modem (most service providers do not impose firewall restrictions).
3. Use the other aspects of Icontext that don't require unauthorized connectivity. These include the [formicon] and [upload] sections as well as the [viewing] and [reading] areas.

The applet makes use of a server which relays messages to all the connected users. Before firewalls became so common, there was an open field for exploring the possibilities of new service types. Now, however, the services have to gain considerable popularity outside of firewalls, or use sometimes awkward HTTP work-arounds in order to curry favor with the security conscious system administrators. So there is clearly a dynamic that involves security and creativity that is being played out among artists, audiences, startups, and established computer industry giants. Open source and international standards are two possible avenues for advancing a more collaborative approach to establishing the least restrictive security measures agreeable to all parties. Let's endorse intelligent cooperation instead of paranoid repression!