Hey guys, most of you know I have a livechat for Rob to access and moderate, and it sees sometimes as many as 10 live users at a time. Ofcourse because of timezones, it is hard to get people in, so I am wondering if I should keep it up and running at all. BTW, it is not a replacement for a bbs, which has permanent posts, and is great for reference, it is more informal and you get people's personalities in real time. http://www.TestShoot.com/livechat/
I like the chat though it doesn't seem to be working right now. I try to log on, it then gives me a message that "no longer logged on and that I hope I enjoyed my stay" and goes back to the log on screen. I shows my username in the logged on list but I can't go anywhere beyond the login page. FWIW I'm using Netscape 7
Good idea & initiative, but unfortunately poor result. The site generates runtime errors in IE6 every other refresh, and the reloading of the page every 5 seconds gets you dizzy.
Suggestion, don't use a database for a chat. Use IRC that is what it is designed for. Rob has a dedicated server and running a chat would be very easy. The same is done at: http://www.ferrariforum.net/chat/chat3.html It uses a Java app but it is real time. You can also get other programs to connect to the IRC: www.mirc.com www.*****x.org www.xchat.org And users can use these on their computer, no need for IE, Netscape, etc. Because the word b!tch is being screened the domain with the *s is b!*tch.
I am fully aware of how to build java based chats, as a matter of fact i have the one from webmaster.com, but i was putting out the feelers to see if it is worth it, and i did not want to have any extra expenses for rob. I don't use a database, it is all kinda dumb, though i do write everything to a log file in plain test that is not viewable to the users. http://www.testshoot.com/livechat/log.txt When I get back from this photoshoot, I will see how the response is and then put up a Java chat if it is appropriate.
I logged in without problem and thought that the chat feature was great! Maybe if some of the bugs are worked out more people will enjoy what you are offering. It also seems that with ideas like this it may take a little while before many people catch on...
Ah, yes - nothing quite like that brief chat with the ever-rude radracer. No question about it - keep the live chat going. Java-based is the way to go. You were testing the waters - successfully, I might add. If testing meant we had the annoyance of continual refreshing, then that's what it meant, not what it means.
Andrew, do you find it's popular and worth the effort to have? I'm thinking it may be a fun novelty for once a week.
Hey Tester, I'm too old for any kind of chat. I may have ADD, but I don't have it that bad. I find chat too hard to follow. Plus, I can't type that fast. Believe it or not, I like to think before I type. I know, I know, my kids tell me that I'm a fossil, but that doesn't stop them from asking me for money! DrTax
sounds like a great idea, I havent discovered this until now but I would like to know when-what address etc...
