instant messaging

Mobile MSN

Software

Skint? Out of batteries? No problem. Add to your MSN list: I finally have got Sony Ericsson's "My Friends" instant messenger working on my (W810i) phone using my regular GPRS settings and a Smart VAS account (will try Yamigo another time). Wicked. This feature definitely beats having to use the WAP interface for eBuddy.com because it runs in the background and interacts with the regular event/alert functions of the phone, while having an optimised interface (T9-enabled) that simply means chat and click instead of having to enter form inputs and submitting them separately.

Rob's a happy mobile user tonight. IMPS rules!

Mocking Debian

Software

Taking from an instant messaging conversation with Neil:

Neil: did debian come to a decison on that
Rob; they will when linux 3.0, gcc 5, kde 7 and X99 are out

I know, only funny if you know a bit about Debian release schedules.

AJAX Instant Messenger

Software

I've added instant messaging to the Kiki user profiles on this web site! It's quite simple: a bit of Javascript sends your messages to the server and retrieves new ones for you, adding them to the page without requiring a refresh/reload of your browser. Tested in Konqueror and Mozilla Firefox.

The database keeps track of what messages you have seen, and you get notified of when a mate enters of leaves the chat. And, if someone chats you up, the site will give you a popup saying there's a new message. From there you can directly join the chat!

To start a conversation you currently have to manually find a mate who is on-line because their profile will have a chat link. But I'll be working on a nice status bar which will tell you which mates are on-line all the time! I shall also make the actual chat window a pop-up, so you won't be limited to a single chat a time (you can work around this by using tabs or multiple windows manually but that's not optimal).

© Copyright 1995-2007 Robert John Kaper. All rights reserved.

Tom has more friends but mine are prettier! (#1/1)