A New Chat

[Benu]

Hey this is just an idea and I'm not expecting you guys to do it but it would be nice. Anyway I don't like the chat we have right now it's hard to use and I can't get it and it's confusing. But I think it would be nice if we could get an new chat like a Java run chat or possibly an IRC room or somthing like that. Let me know what you guys and gals think, And keep making CAA the best Christian Anime Community!!

[andyroo]

I think the current chat would be easier for most to use if Shoo actually put together that FAQ that he has been promising for the past 3 months. I guess he hasn't gotten alot of feedback on it. I think the Dj is thinking about using IRC, but only when we get a new server or so I've read.

[shooraijin]

If people can give me some specific and constructive problems about what's difficult to use, I'll take them under advisement.

I've tried very hard to make it easier with a large amount of online help, which is not getting much use or access, and the system goes to pretty intrusive lengths to remind you how to use it.

The system I went with is one that allows expansion into more than a simple chat, and I stand by it. I haven't had as much time recently to do more than maintenance with it, but I do have features to add in mind.

I think the kinds of simplistic things people are looking at wouldn't fully serve the needs of this community, but on the other hand, the chat area is fully my creation (I wrote all of it except the very core driver section), so I'm somewhat personally invested in it.

[inkhana]

>But I think it would be nice if we could get an new chat like a Java run chat

Oh gag, not a java chat...I hate those things...although IRC I could try...(never done that before, never needed to...)

I think what the problem is is that people expect it to be like a messenger with big buttons and flashing lights and that just isn't the way it is...

[Straylight]

IRC is a long way off, and will only be happening if we burst our "virtual hosting" and feel the need for a dedicated server. Getting a channel on someone else's server usally costs money and I think the costs outweigh the practical use, especially as we already have a chat solution.

[ShiroiHikari]

-__- I think the chat we have now is fine, just takes a little getting used to, is all. And, isn't it a java applet already...? When you access it from the chat link up there?

The best thing to do IMO is to get a telnet client thing...like MUSHClient or something, and I think the chat page has a list of available clients too.

[inkhana]

I didn't mind using the chat; what my problem is, a lot of times I'm working on something else, and I forget about chatting, so when an IM window blinks it reminds me. I could minimize a chat window and totally forget it's running. If I chat in the CAA chat room, I'd have to be devotedly chatting, not to mention using telnet. Telnet's not bad for chatting in at all, IMO.

[Fsiphskilm]

Uhmm Don't most of

[Saint Kevin]

Nobody every uses the chat. Why pray tell?

[shooraijin]

In the other thread on this {see http://www.christiananime.net/showthread.php?t=4689 }, we had some discussion about the user interface. If this is a problem, it *can* be dealt with.

Please, folks, feedback really would help!

[Straylight]

I'll give a bit of feedback..
Here are my main problems. I'm using the Sun Java VM. This happens in both IE and FireFox.

1) The font is way to small, making it difficult to read.
2) The bottom line in the console box flickers like crazy. The entire window also occasionally flickers

These two problems are not specific to my computer -- they have happened on every Windows machine that I've tried it on. A white background would be REALLY nice as well, I think, along with some kind of sound notification when someone else posts a message to the chat. The sound notification would allow you to minimise the window and work on something else until someone else joins the room.

[shooraijin]

If you haven't noticed, I'm *really* trying to encourage people to start using Telnet, and then you can use whatever client you want.

I don't observe the problems you're seeing with the IE VM in Windows, but even if I were, there's little I can do about it because I don't have the source code for this particular applet (I chose it because you can script the UI relatively easily).

Anyway, it's because of all of Java's vagaries that I'm really pushing Telnet hard, and if everyone seems to find the Java client unacceptable, I may just discontinue it as so far it's been much more trouble than it's worth which I can't do much about. I suspect even if I altered the client and could try to fix this behaviour, it would undoubtedly break on somebody's system.

[Straylight]

Telnet clients are definately a lot better... the only problem being that it is hard to monitor activity with the window closed. This makes lurking around until someone else joins quite difficult. You get no notification when someone joins and tries to talk to you.

Unfortunately that problem is very difficult to fix...

[shooraijin]

Well, I thought of one way that will work (for Telnet clients that actually honor CTRL-G, although I'm not in a position to test the Java client from here).

By default, any emote, chat or text message you receive in the mud will cause a beep. By the same token, because these are the same message classes being sent to you, you also cause a beep when you do these things.

turn on chatbeep
turn off chatbeep

The default is on. System messages don't beep.
Does this help for anyone?