powered by Jive Software

Is there a *serious* project for a Flash messenger?

XIFF
#9

I hope my project will make you happy… I know it’‘s not as complete as it could have been, but it’'s a sleeping project I made during a work placement.

I used a personally modified version of the xiff library 200B1 for my project, and I can try to merge the modifications if the result permits sb to do sth!

The chat can be found here: http://usuc.dyndns.org/tv/Jabber/novachat.php

It’'s on my connection so it can be slow… My jabber server is not connected to others servers, there is not any gateways and the port used for jabber is 5222 as usual!

The sources of this project are not downloadable for the moment, but I can share it if needed

#10

Notice: Undefined variable: lang in c:\program files\easyphp1-8\www\tv\jabber\novachat.php on line 47

Notice: Undefined variable: lang in c:\program files\easyphp1-8\www\tv\jabber\novachat.php on line 50

this when i’'m trying to create account, and blank window when trying to login with random login.

#11

arf! thanks for that…

Now is it fixed!

The blank window is filled by the chat when fully loaded (192ko).

#12

ok, i have tested. It seems to be working fine. Only slowly BTW, i think you should hide password with asterisk sign in account registration menu. I recall there is such option in Input Field preferences (Macromedia Flash 7).

and sometimes emoticons are not in place, they appears on top of previously posted messages

#13

I also developped a flash client that is used in an open source Learning Management System called OLAT www.olat.org. Its based on the xiff lib and works quite well. But it is designed for the LMS and needed some work to use somewhere else. It has roster support, messaging with serveral users at the same time, groupchat and …

I think It would be really a cool project to join the manpower of the several project here and develop all together a nice client. How about starting here at jivesoftware with a CVS account and a good name. Who would like to join the project? Who could draw the overall architecture of such a project?

guido

#14

I’'m ready for this kind of project!

I saw your message on my chat! and I agree with you to do such a thing… I wanted to make one… but as my project felt asleep for about 6 months… I gave up… for a while! My motivation is back since I’'m on this forum… ready for anything!

We’'ll have to argue a lot for the GUI… but this seem to be very interesting, and could redirect a lot of questions related to chat making that are already in this forum (and should not because this is not xiff programming, this is xiff using)

Let’'s go for it!

#15

interesting Though i’'m not a developer. Maybe can advise about design or search for bugs. But i still have to install XIFF somehow. Dont have time for this still

#16

Hey, could you share the source of your chat?

#17

cool, it looks like that some people are interested. It may makes more sense to start with a sourceforge project. But to do so we need a good name. Any ideas? And to start the GUI talks, My favorite Client is PSI. I would go along its design for creating a new Flash client. That means that it will have a main pandel for the rouster in a small popup window and if possible for each chat and groupchat its own window as popups. Does this work in flash? Does anybody have a working test example of independant windows (swf’'s inside) that communication with each other. If this doesnt work we have to go with a one window solution with may be tabs or something. But for me it is very important to have the client in a spearate small window, so I can chat and use my deskop anymore.

guido

#18

Yes, I did things like these with localConnection (swf’‘s talking to each others) but there is unknown bugs (specially on Macintosh) like: over 10 localconnections you can’'t open anymore… And this kind of connection is slow (approx 1 sec delay)

You can find an example at macromedias knowledge base:

http://www.macromedia.com/cfusion/knowledgebase/index.cfm?id=tn_16243

Or we could try Central, as Sean Voisen tried, but I don’‘t know many about it… and don’‘t know if users won’‘t have to download extra plugin (and this could be bad because the main advantage of a flash chat is that 95% of the ppl won’'t need extra plugin installation!).

My choice, as you saw, was to make a main window with everything inside… it’‘s simplier! I didn’'t find any manners to do such a thing… but studio8 is coming… maybe with new features!

If anyone here know an other way to make multiple windows GUI is flash… We’'re all listening

#19

i think that first you should try to make working tabbed version, and who knows maybe this will do I prefer separate windows too. But hey, i’'m using Firefox with tabs and i like it

As about name. Maybe it should have XIFF prefix to honor XIFF developers? Something like XIFF-IM or XIFF-Chat, but thats only an idea. Maybe it should be a one word, maybe something from nature, you know like Tiger, Chameleon, etc.

What features will make this chat extraordinary? The name could be deriven from this.

#20

I tried to focus on international names - or easy to remember. I also tried to show the open source/free/for everyone aspect in the name

The main positive point of such a project is that anyone can install a jabber server, and anyone can have access to it… there is no “censorship” (moderators are here, but jabber won’‘t log ppl as M$ does)… every body can take it and see how it works… and simple users can trust it isn’'t a commercial place (free of any constraint)!

Based on flash (gordon hihihihiih, but already tooken!)

freeGordon

openGordon

jabberGordon

flashtopia

now, latin oriented (international - like vivendi, areva, aventis,…)

irevia - (means follow the road, don’'t quit it)

liberchat - (free - without political constraint + chat)

libens - (given spontaneously)

vulgus - (the people)

vulpinor - (clever as a fox)

I don’'t really know , try to see if something seem correct to you…

I forgot to give the credit name to the XIFF, but thought it would be on the sourceforge page, and on the chat credits… we can’‘t forget the xiff developpers! it’‘s just impossible… but making a name with XIFF… probably Xiffan (between XIFF and Fan) or things like that… one word that could be easily pronounciated in any language over the world (that’‘s why a tried some latin words, that’'s what companies does to become internationally pronounciable) and that google will recognize easily.

Any other suggestion (this thread is well working… yeah!)

#21

I think we could write a window class for the windows, they would still be in main swf, but you could resize them, and whynot minimize.

The other solution would be using Flash Window Component.

Edit:

If we include MSN, AIM, etc. support in that client too, then we could name it Flash-IM or OWM (OpenWebMessenger) : )

Message was edited by:

jevx

#22

hm… i personally prefer short names, but something like irevia sounds good too.

So what makes this flash client different from others? Simple availability, direct through the browser. So it could be latin based on that: availability, rapid connection, blaze, maybe nice design. I dont know latin so you should know better

As about Xiffan, maybe Xiffian sounds better. But it sounds like a human or profession. Dont know.

#23

If we include MSN, AIM, etc. support in that client

too, then we could name it Flash-IM or OWM

(OpenWebMessenger) : )

good one. Maybe OWIM (how would you pronounce that?). I think any name could be given, and other networks support could be on project’'s roadmap

#24

jevx:[/b] Using the Flash Window Component doesn’'t help at all for this problem… it will just bring more confusion. These windows are used INSIDE the flash app, and the problem we have is to have REAL windows (ex: one firefox window with roster, an other with chat…) communicating without problem…

Using tabs for windowing is great (making real windows wasn’'t possible in mine for compatibility reasons), but we should solve the problem of new messages if not focused, we have to find a way to tell the user “new message has arrived” out of the window…

For the name:[/b]… I will seek latin dictionaries for such a word, but translating “rapid connection” into latin is quite impossible (like “plane”… you must use “flying machine” because it didn’‘t exist at this period of history )… but I’'ll try

I’‘m between Irevia, Xiffian and OWIM… Xiffian, because we all here are xiffians and I like that! and OWIM because it’'s simple and short. Irevia for the meaning. I really liked the way they choosed the name for Ubuntu…

But maybe should we wait one or two days for other ppl to say what they think of it…[/u] I think we’'re 3 or 4 involved for the moment, but ppl could join and bring their own point of view, which is as important as our.

#25

we have to find a way to

tell the user “new message has arrived” out of the

window…

How about this:

when message arrives, the flash can beep or something. Maybe something can be done with JavaScript or smthng?!

#26

What about starting new thread about that? Because now some of visitors dont even look in this thread i think.

As about project members. As i said i can only suggest something and maybe test time to time, i’‘m checking whole Jive forum almost every day. But i cant promise something more, because i’'m spending much time with Jive Messenger itself and with my real work

#27

Hey guys - I’‘m glad this project is getting off the ground. I personally won’'t be able to be a developer, but I can advise you on the intricacies of XIFF and using it when need be (if you need a board of advisors

As far as GUI, here’'s how I did it in Central, which might help in the design of the web-based version:

One window had the roster using a data grid with custom cell renderers, so it looked like something you’‘d see in PSI or another program. The main window had the chat/IM interface and was tabbed because Flash’‘s window management system is quite buggy and bloated IMHO (assuming you can even call it a window management system!) It wasn’‘t tabbed in the traditional sense, but had a vertical list on the left-hand side that you could click on to switch between conversations, group chats, etc. If one of the conversations updated and you weren’'t viewing it, the system would notify you by changing the color or the icon of the corresponding item of the list.

To do this same thing without Central will require use of LocalConnection. A one-window solution would be easier, but maybe not as robust for the user.

#28

To make multi window with flash see on

http://www.screentime.com/software/mprojector/

in a friendly way

BicTouBi