<textarea name="text" id="text" maxlength="600"></textarea>
<p><span id="already"></span>/<span>600</span></p>
text.oninput = function() {
  already.textContent = text.value.length;
}

text.oninput = function() {
  if(text.value.length >= 600) {
    text.value = text.value.substr(0,600);
  }
  already.textContent = text.value.length;
}

text.onkeydown = function() {
  if(text.value.length >= 600) {
    // 删除:46 退格:8 回车:13
    if (!(e.which == '46' || e.which == '8' || e.which == '13')) {
      e.preventDefault();
    }
   }
}

<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript"> 
function textlen(x,y){ 
 var thelength = x.value.length; 
 window.status=thelength+' of '+y+' maximum characters.'; 
} 
function maxtext(x,y){ 
 tempstr = x.value 
 if(tempstr.length>y){ 
  x.value = tempstr.substring(0,y); 
 } 
 textlen(x,y); 
} 
</script> 
<form name="myform"> 
   <textarea name="mytextarea"  
              cols="45"  
              rows="3"  
              wrap="virtual"  
              onkeypress="return(this.value.length<20)" 
              onkeydown="textlen(this,20)"  
              onkeyup="textlen(this,20)"  
              onblur="maxtext(this,20)">
   </textarea> 
</form>