What features would you like to see in Spark?

Spark Spark Support
201

VCards follow a specific format as outlined in the XMPP specification: http://www.xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0054.html

You should not modify this format as it will cause problems with other clients that are not expecting these custom extensions.

In general, custom extensions of that nature would likely fall into the broad category of:

http://www.xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0163.html

There’s also a much bigger “user profile” http://www.xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0154.html that holds far more than vcard, and may or may not be “customizable” — I haven’t looked at it very closely.

202

File sharing in rooms isn’t as important as you might think, it’s feaseable definitely although I am informed that some similar work to support this will be done on Openfire in the future. This might get into Spark 2.6.2, it really depends on how the development goes on Openfire.

203

The Red5 plugin adds video and voice conference capability (for up to 12? people) for Spark and OpenFire and will probably do what you need.

204

Ability to intregrate with outlook users to see profile of user.

Ability to intregrate with outlook calendar for notifications of meetings.

Ability to save profile information when using with Active Directory

more Stability, mine constantly fails to start.

205

Using Outlook Calendar Data and Exchange Data is completely different. In a corp envirnoment, Exchange Data would be a very nice feature, but probably more suited for an Openfire plugin.

I would definately like to see Spark someday auto-away ‘in a meeting’ when there is something scheduled in Outlook/Exchange.

206

To be able to add emotions like in Pidgin

207

Hi Winsrev, hi community,

I would like to see Spark WIN version migrate towards a “portable” version.

By portable, I mean if it is installed in drive Q: then it never reads nor writes anywhere outside of its default drive.

In particular, Spark would never write anything to drive C:, not to the registry.

My drive Q: (for example) is a virtual, encrypted drive and there must be absolutedly no leakage between Q:

and C: - or Q: and registry. No information, no preferences, absolutely nothing should be leaked outside the default installation drive, whether F:, K:, or Y:

If Spark writes to C: or to regsitry, it would be a gross violation of security rules.

Regards

208

This is already possible in Spark with the correct syntax.

209

This would take a lot of work, the fact that a program can be installed and share across drives while using the main system registry is hardly a “gross violation”, if that is the case then nearly every piece of software out there is a “gross violation” of security. It’s unlikely that a portable version would get made but be sure to check out SparkWeb, it’s portable in a sense.

210

This would take a lot of work,

Please take a look at the following programs, including some big names like FireFox and Thunderbird,as well as pidgin IM client: http://portableapps.com/

Portable apps are the present and the future; depending upon C: and WIN registry is the past.

using the main system registry is hardly a “gross violation”, if that is the case then nearly every> piece of software out there is a “gross violation” of security.

That is correct and is why registry and disk scrubbing software exist. Srubbing C: and the WINregistry every time you use your computer is a big pain.

The modern way is a 4GB USB stick, which now cost next to nothing, or a 8GB stick costing not much more, or a 2.5 inch 250 GB external hard disk, and which is encrypted with TrueCrypt,for example. Everytime the virtual hard disk is mounted, it can have the same drive letter,regardless of which notebook or computer it is plugged into. A portable app installed on such a virtual drive does not depend on the WIN registry nor on C:\

Spark can and should be weaned away from ancient practices.

If there are any command line switches which could prevent Spark from using any folder outside its installation drive and WIN’s registry, I would be interested in knowing what they are.

Regards

211

Hi to every one,

I am new to this community and also to openfire and spark…I have one sugestion for spark client, is their any feature or u can add any feature in spark which can be prompet for user certificate at the time of login with server or if already have then let me know.and also at on the server side that it will ask for user certificate to the client

Regards,

Sanaullah

212

“That is correct and is why registry and disk scrubbing software exist. Srubbing C: and the WINregistry every time you use your computer is a big pain.”

Personally, i think you’d only do that if you had obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), the fact is, other software has many many active developers, and this is not a priority of ours, this software is already portable in some retrospects. A lot of stuff would need to get rewritten seen as Spark relies on the Registery and such, this is why i don’t see a change for the non-portable version, releasing two different versions more than likely wont be the best option.

213

Winrevs,

"That is correct and is why registry and disk scrubbing software exist.

Srubbing C: and the WINregistry every time you use your computer is a big pain."

Personally, i think you’d only do that if you had obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

If I was using Spark client as a businessman in Toronto or a baker in Berlin, I would agree with you. Unfortunately on our planet there are many pragmatic, down-to-Earth, feet-on-the-ground reasons to pay great attention to security. People have spent decades in prison for thinking freely. Maybe you are a human rights activist, or wish the manufacture, sale, and stockage of land mines banned. Or you are trying to change the lot of street children or stop female mutalation. Maybe you are a researcher in alternate energy and do not wish to join the murdered scientists who have discovered a replacement for hydrocarbon energy. There are many reasons why your telecommunications / messaging client should not leak to C: drive if you are a person who wants to change this planet for the better

You asked what features one wanted to see in Spark, and I replied from my point of view.

You are correct, it depends on your priorities.

You understand my request and the reasoning behind it so it is not necessary for me to post any more on this theme.

Thank you kindly for your attention and for your previous efforts in coding Spark.

As a non programmer it is not possible for me to appreciate the difficulty in reading and writing to an ini or config file in the default directory compared to reading and writing to the registry.

Regards

214

Spark_my_Jabber wrote:

As a non programmer it is not possible for me to appreciate the difficulty in reading and writing to an ini or config file in the default directory compared to reading and writing to the registry.

I just dont understand what you want from the registry. It’s not used to store your conversation history or any personal information. Registry has its purposes and it’s vital for system administrators. It’s not an ancient technology just because you want to feel secure, it is very important in corporate environment. I think most of the Spark users just want it to be more usable and feature rich/bug free than make it “secure”. Maybe someday it will get its priority to make option to change profile’s folder path.

215

All these features would be great, but Spark is free, and many of the developers are more than likely pretty busy. If you must have these features; developer your own, or buy some other type of messenger that fits your needs.

216

I don’t think it’s spark’s job to protect the entire system, it comes down the OS and the network adminstrator, for the record on “what i am” is a business person and a programmer involved in many languages. Although i do believe in equal rights .

When it comes to the security of your system is your job, not ours. This might get implemented, it might not.

217

What kind of certificate did you have in mind and this isn’t a topic to recommend other software, it’s a topic for new features you want to see in Spark.

218

wr00t,

I just dont understand what you want from the registry. It’s not used to store your conversation history or any personal information.

I don’t want anythiing from the registry, in fact if it disaapeared as in the Linux O/S, I would be happy.

Many programs store voice mail, chat conversation history, etc. on the C: drive, not in the registry necessarily, but in a folder under C:\Documents and Settings\user\Application Data\bla

Some programs store the last ten dialled telephone numbers, or JIDs, or images looked at, or processed documents, in the registry.

The point I am trying to make is that a program should stick to its installation drive and have no necessity to write to the C: drive.

Every day the list of programs dropping the necessity of writing to drive C: becomes longer; whether FireFox, Thunderbird, Pidgin, Wireshark, Putty

Registry has its purposes and it’s vital for system administrators

The registry can not be vital to sys admins since it doesn’t even exist in Linux. Sys admins get along fine with Apache Web servers with no registry.

I started using computers back in the early DOS days and there were many years where users and sys admins were very happy with *.ini and *.cfg.

When a program was loaded into memory, it looked in its default installation directory and found everything it needed.

It’s not an ancient technology just because you want to feel secure, it is very important in corporate environment.

That means the corporate environment may not use Linux since it is missing a registry. Wonder why so many corporations are using Apache under Linux? A lot of corporations have been very embarassed by not paying sufficient attention to security after releasing a MS WORD document where the entire editing history, including crossed through phrases and deletions came back to life. Everything connected to IT and Internet can be considered to be a very hostile environment; even visiting a big name Web site can infect your computer because a hacker used SQL injection exploit. There is no such thing as being too security conscious. I saw a corporation’s world-wide network go down with-in 15 minutes and stay down during 4 days. It cost them untold millions. They changed their tune and screwed security down so tight the screws started squeaking…

I think most of the Spark users just want it to be more usable and feature rich/bug free than make it “secure”.

As you should be aware, planet Titanic has already struck the iceberg and is taking on water fast. Spark developers are very dedicated and idealistic, but they are not alone. There are also other dedicated people giving their all to turn the course of history around and find a solution to exponential increase of energy prices and all the extremely ugly consequences of returning to the Middle Ages in the space of only a decade or two. They need security, not only TLS, but also on C: drive since there are some very evil people who care not about our future.

Maybe someday it will get its priority to make option to change profile’s folder path.

The day that Spark becomes independent of C: drive will be the day that it changes from a near-perfect program to a perfect program.

And it can not happy too quickly.

Bill Businessman and Joe Six-Pack do not need a totally secure telecom capability, but there are others that do. Others that know the near future and why World War III has spread to Georgia, as I write this. Sometimes priorities depend on the diameter of your horizon.

This is my last post concerning this particular feature request. I would again like to express my gratitude to the dedication of the Spark and Openfire developers, they merit a big thanks. Bravo to you all.

Regards

219

Well, firstly, Linux kind of does have a registry hence /etc/ and you can change the environment variables of windows to steer away from C:\ to anything you want. So, really, you can do this yourself. A program doesn’t need to be rewrote when the OS’s can already change these variables anyway.

220

Would LOVE to see audio device selection, like all other major voice applications!