10Nov2004 [Pascal Scheffers]

We need a new chatroom. There have been discussions of replacing the CGI version in the past, but the current effort by [Reinhard Max] and me seems to come closest to actually providing all we need. 

'''How?'''

We are using a Jabber server as the chatserver. We have also added jabber client support to [TkChat], this means that you can keep on using tkchat, including all of its features.

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'''Using the new chat'''

Just use the latest tkchat.kit from sdarchive [http://mini.net/sdarchive/tkchat.kit] and on the login screen select 'use jabber server (experimental)', hit logon and you will be prompted to create an account (first time only...).

For other jabber clients like [tkabber] and [coccinella]:

 Server: all.tclers.tk, port 5222
 Conference Room: tcl@tach.tclers.tk

''Please go and try it out!'' We need feedback.

[[Instructions for jabber over a proxy to follow (hint use jabber80.com port 443 and enable SSL/TLS)]]

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'''Requirements for the new chat'''

We set ourselves a number of basic requirements for the new chat:

   * Must work for people with really nasty firewalls/proxies (only CONNECT on port 443, or worse, only HTTP)
   * Must have a log of what has been said, kept for a few days
   * Must work with tkchat and its commonly used features
   * Must allow the irc.freenode.net#Tcl chatters to join us
   * Preferably have a web interface from day one
   * It should allow us to extend tkchat to do interesting things, like the [World-wide whiteboard], without visual noise for other chatters.
   * Scale better: during the 2004 Tcl Conference, the chat almost died from having 30 chatters at the same time.

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'''Why Jabber?'''

We chose jabber for a number of reasons. The obvious other choice would have been IRC, but jabber seemed to match our requirements better.

I'll elaborate on that later. No time for it today, sorry.

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'''What about the IRC people?'''

You come next - we have ijchain, which is similar to irc/azbridge, we will be running this from day 1. The next step is to make jabber users appear as true IRC users and vice-versa. We have some ideas, it will be done. Nobody will come second in the Tcl community! Jabber and IRC are a much closer match to one and another than chat.cgi and IRC were, so we can solve this rather elegantly.

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'''Known issues in tkchat (1.210)'''

   * History loading is slightly enthusiastic - when you get disconnected and it reconnects again, it will reload the entire history.
   * Userinfo doesn't work yet.
   * '''Warning:''' /me actions ARE '''LOGGED'''! There is a menu option and a /log /nolog command pair to prevent your words from entering the logs. The menu allows you to set the old default where /me actions are not logged. Use /nolog/me for a single, not logged action - please suggest a good alternative command name for that (someone suggested /snide, I'd like something more positive...)
   * Logout does not work! Trying that gives 100% CPU usage.

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[LV] I have a problem trying to use the experimental jabber code.  I select the login menu.
I get the dialog box.  I selected jabber experimental.  This gave me a jabber server
site of Scheffers.net .  I left that, selected logon and get this error:

 couldn't open socket: connection refused
 couldn't open socket: connection refused
    while executing
 "socket $Options(JabberServer) $Options(JabberPort)"
    (procedure "tkjabber::connect" line 29)
    invoked from within
 "tkjabber::connect     "
    (procedure "logonChat" line 20)
    invoked from within
 "logonChat"
    (procedure "::tkchat::logonScreen" line 101)
    invoked from within
 "::tkchat::logonScreen"
    invoked from within
 ".#mbar.#mbar#file invoke active"
    ("uplevel" body line 1)
    invoked from within
 "uplevel #0 [list $w invoke active]"
    (procedure "tk::MenuInvoke" line 47)
    invoked from within
 "tk::MenuInvoke .#mbar.#mbar#file 1"
    (command bound to event)
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'''Suggestions?'''

''Yes, please.''

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