+--------+---------------------------------------------------------+--------+ | ###### | JabberChat v. 1.1a - Released: 1/25/2001 - FREEWARE | ###### | | ###### +---------------------------------------------------------+ ###### | | ###### | Copyright (C)1999-2001 by Prowler Productions | ###### | | ###### | Written by: Mike Snyder (wyndo@prowler-pro.com) | ###### | | ###### +---------------------------------------------------------+ ###### | | ###### | Prowler Productions Home Page (www.prowler-pro.com) | ###### | | ###### | JabberChat Home Page (www.prowler-pro.com/jabberchat) | ###### | | ###### +---------------------------------------------------------+ ###### | | ###### | See "Section 5" in this document for a | ###### | | ###### | list of what has changed in this version. | ###### | +--------+---------------------------------------------------------+--------+ Section 1: JabberChat Information Section 2: Installation and Setup Section 3: Warranty and Disclaimer Section 4: License Agreement Section 5: Revision History +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Section 1: JabberChat Information | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ *--------------------- * What Is JabberChat? *--------------------- JabberChat is web-based chat/teleconference CGI program written in Perl. It features whispering, message directing, colors, actions, and millions of channels for private or public chatting. JabberChat can be installed on most web servers that support Perl CGI programs. To use JabberChat, simply access it with any standard "4.0" or newer web browser (AOL, Netscape, or Internet Explorer presently). *----------------- * Why JabberChat? *----------------- Before I began programming in Perl, I looked around for good CGI programs on the net for the Prowler Productions web sites. I found chat programs out there, but most seemed primitive and not really "fun" to use. I didn't find a chat program with actions, let alone private whispering and colors. JabberChat is the web-based chat program I wanted to find but never did. *--------------------- * Is JabberChat Free? *--------------------- Yes. It's 100% freeware. This does *not* mean, however, that it is ok to change it or remove our links and/or our copyright. Other than "setup.cgi" (which holds configurables), JabberChat CANNOT be modified without prior authorization from Prowler Productions (email wyndo@cxo.com). It also may not be charged for and can only be run at non-commercial web sites without prior authorization from Prowler Productions. The registration fee for commercial web sites, or for sites wishing to modify this software and/or charge for the use of it is a mere $25.00 US$. Visit the registration page at http://www.prowler-pro.com/jabberchat/register.html for more info. *-------------------------------- * Can JabberChat Be Distributed? *-------------------------------- Yes -- in fact, we encourage it! However, JabberChat can be distributed ONLY in its original form, without modifications. Under *NO* circumstances can JabberChat be distributed if the source files have been modified in any way. No fees, except a small fee for media (if applicable), can be charged for JabberChat. *-------------------------------- * JabberChat System Requirements *-------------------------------- Because it's CGI, it runs on the server each time a page request is made, which includes one request each time the chat window updates. It is best suited for faster web servers where performance won't be hindered by slow system response time. Depending on the load (number of chatters logged in) performance may be okay with a few chatters (5 or 6) on a 468 DX2/66. The better the system, the better results you'll see from JabberChat. It has been running on a Pentium 300-MHz at Prowler Productions for six months and has not exhibited any problems even with two dozen chatters logged in. +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Section 2: Installation and Setup | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ *---------------------------- * Preparing for Installation *---------------------------- The JabberChat archive must be extracted to an IBM PC compatible using WinZip or PKZip for Windows. JabberChat *does* run on UNIX/based systems, but it must be FTP'd over to the UNIX server as described below. Do not use PKZIP for DOS to extract the JabberChat archive. If you do, all the file names will be shortened and upper case, which simply won't work. *----------------------------------------- * Installation for WINDOWS NT Web Servers *----------------------------------------- Copy or Extract the JabberChat files to a directory inside your web server tree. For instance, for Microsoft IIS you might create a directory called "c:\inetpub\wwwroot\jabberchat" and extract all the files to it. Create two subdirectories under your jabberchat directory - one called "players" and the other called "convo". Make sure that you set up the jabberchat virtual settings to allow scripts to be executed. You might need to change the paths to JabberChat. See "Extra Configuration and Troubleshooting" below for additional sets you might need to take. *----------------------------------------- * Installation for UNIX-based Web Servers *----------------------------------------- Create a directory on the server for jabberchat inside your web server tree. For instance, this might be "/usr/users/netscape/jabberchat" or maybe "/extra/home/jabberchat/public_html" (with appropriate alias mapping set). FTP all the jabberchat files to this directory. This step is very important because all the CGI files (files which end with .cgi) should be FTP'd over to the UNIX server using ASCII transfer mode. All other files (HTML, GIF, JPG, etc) should be transferred using BINARY transfer mode. This is vital. FTP clients such as CUTE-FTP have a setting to change back and forth. Text based clients sometimes allow you to type "asc" or "bin" to set the mode. The CGI programs must be made executable. This is done (usually via telnet) by going to the jabberchat directory and typing "chmod 755 *.cgi". The directory itself might also need to be executable, so be sure to do a "chmod 755 ." in the jabberchat directory. Create two subdirectories under the jabberchat directory called "players" (lowercase) and "convo" (lowercase). Set these directories for read/write AND execute access (usually "chmod 777 players" and "chmod 777 convo"). *------------------------ * Configuring JabberChat *------------------------ The file "setup.cgi" can be modified to control a few parameters, including how long "chat" lines stay on the screen before expiring. With busy chats, it is good to set this low (like 120 seconds). With slow chats, you might want to increase it. Most of the setup options are commented. You can BAN certain IP addresses (or IP ranges) by listing them in setup.cgi (there are variables you can modify). If you want, use the log mode variable to turn logging on so you can see what IP addresses people log in from in case you need to identify a problem person in order to ban them. The log file is "login_log.cgi" (if logging is turned on) in the "convo" directory. It's just a text file (even though it has the .cgi extension) so you can view it the way you'd view any standard text file. When logging is enabled, this file grows with each login, so it is a good idea to delete it every once in a while (it's not done automatically) if logging is enabled. *--------------------------------------- * Configuring JabberChat Directory Path *--------------------------------------- NOTE: If you have installed JabberChat into a virtual root directory, then you probably don't need to do this. If you attempt to run JabberChat and you get script errors or "document contains no data" messages, then you probably *do* need to configure the directory path as defined here. Usually, this step is needed for Windows NT servers but not UNIX servers. Edit frame4.cgi, convo.cgi, login.cgi, main.cgi, and frame1.cgi (5 files). Toward the top of each script is a statement: $GamePath = ""; You will need to change this to the path of your jabberchat directory. The path should use the forward "/" slash (instead of the backward "\" slash) as a path separator (even on Window's NT servers), and should end when a slash too unless you're using a blank (empty "") path. For example: $GamePath = "c:/ftproot/webpage/jabberchat/"; #Example NT or: $GamePath = "/usr/users/netscape/chat/"; #Example UNIX Section 1 in setup.cgi contains a variable called "$DATA_PATH" which is automatically set equal to $GamePath. Ordinarilly this is fine because the path to the chat files and jabber name files are "/convo" and "/players" under the jabberchat program directory. However, if you have need to move those directories elsewhere (not directly under the jabberchat program directory) then you will need to edit setup.cgi and change $DATA_PATH to be the path to this data ("players" and "convo" subdirectories are assumed to exist there and set for read/write/execute access). Use the same path formatting rules as explained for the $GamePath variable above. *------------------------------------- * Configuring JabberChat Graphics Path *------------------------------------- Usually, you do not need to change the graphics path. They are in the JabberChat directory and can probably be viewed directly from there with no path given. However, it seems that on some systems the CGI program directory can't be the same as the directory where the images are stored. If you run JabberChat and it works but you don't see any graphics, then you will need to move all the graphics (*.gif and *.jpg) into a different directory visible to the web server. Then, simply edit setup.cgi and locate the variable named $GRAPHICS_PATH and set it to the URL of the graphics. For example: $GRAPHICS_PATH = "http://www.yoursite.com/chatpics/"; Note that this path is NOT a directory path -- it's the web-style URL instead. Remember to include the slash "/" on the end. *--------------------- * Starting JabberChat *--------------------- An example "home page" (index.html) is included. After installing and setting up JabberChat, point your browser to index.html. This allows you to log in, create a jabber name (a chat name) and get started! It's easy to add the JabberChat opener to your existing web pages, too. To do this, see the tips provided in index.html, and make sure that you change the reference to "login.html" (which is listed in the OpenJabberWindow javascript function inside index.html) to the full internet path to your JabberChat area. (For example: http://www.myweb.com/jabberchat/login.html). +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Section 3: Limited Warranty and Disclaimer of Warranty | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ THIS SOFTWARE AND ACCOMPANYING WRITTEN MATERIALS, IF ANY (INCLUDING INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE) ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. FURTHER, PROWLER PRODUCTIONS DOES NOT WARRANT, GUARANTEE, OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE USE, OR THE RESULTS OF USE, OF THE SOFTWARE OR WRITTEN MATERIALS IN TERMS OF CORRECTNESS, ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, CURRENTNESS, OR OTHERWISE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE RESULTS AND PERFORMANCE OF THE SOFTWARE IS ASSUMED BY YOU. IF THE SOFTWARE OR WRITTEN MATERIALS ARE DEFECTIVE YOU, AND NOT PROWLER PRODUCTIONS OR ITS DEALERS, DISTRIBUTORS, AGENTS, ASSOCIATES, OR EMPLOYEES, ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR, OR CORRECTION. THE ABOVE IS THE ONLY WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, THAT IS MADE BY PROWLER PRODUCTIONS, ON THIS PROWLER PRODUCTIONS PRODUCT. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY PROWLER PRODUCTIONS, ITS DEALERS, DISTRIBUTORS, AGENTS OR EMPLOYEES SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY OR IN ANY WAY INCREASE THE SCOPE OF THIS WARRANTY AND YOU MAY NOT RELY ON ANY SUCH INFORMATION OR ADVICE. YOU MAY HAVE OTHER RIGHTS WHICH VARY FROM STATE TO STATE. NEITHER PROWLER PRODUCTIONS NOR ANYONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE CREATION, PRODUCTION OR DELIVERY OF THIS PRODUCT SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION, AND THE LIKE) ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE SUCH PRODUCT EVEN IF PROWLER PRODUCTIONS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. This Limited Warranty shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Kansas. +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Section 4: License Agreement | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ JabberChat cannot be modified (except for setup.cgi, message.txt, and the "$GamePath" value in main.cgi, frame1.cgi, frame4.cgi, convo.cgi, and login.cgi) except by Prowler Productions, unless you make prior arrangements with Prowler Productions and purchase a $25 site license. JabberChat may NOT be used if ANY changes outside the exclusions listed above are made without authorization from Prowler Productions. Making changes of any kind (large, small, or otherwise) and claiming this software as your own will NOT be tolerated AT ALL. No fees can be charged for the use or distribution of JabberChat unless authorized by Prowler Productions (this may require a different type of site license). No part of the JabberChat source code (graphics, HTML, CGI, etc) may be used in any other product (commercial, non-commercial, or otherwise) without prior written authorization from Prowler Productions. +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Section 5: Revision History | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ *------------------------------------ * JabberChat Version 1.1a (1-25-2001) *------------------------------------ > Now works correctly with Netscape 6! > Fixed two places in login.cgi where $GRAPHICS_PATH should be used. > Fixed spelling of "Angrily" in actions.cgi. > Fixed the infamous "OpenJabberWindow()" typo on INDEX.HTML. > Added more visible "modification warning" to CGI scripts. > Added more SMILEYS. See http://www.prowler-pro.com/logic/smileys.gif. *------------------------------------ * JabberChat Version 1.0c (8-3-1999) *------------------------------------ > Added a "DelayMilliseconds" value to setup.cgi to control how soon the page will refresh after chat is posted by the user. > Added "message.txt" -- If this file exists in the JabberChat directory, its contents will be displayed to users when they log in. > Added an "Idle Killer" - setting is in "setup.cgi" to auto log off idles. > Added the "HeartBeat" value to "setup.cgi" to control the refresh rate. *------------------------------------- * JabberChat Version 1.0b (7-15-1999) *------------------------------------- > Added a "Delete" button to the login page to allow chatters to delete their own name (handy for re-doing a name to fix capitalization/colors). > Revised setup.cgi so that it has more explanation and is easier to configure now. > Added the "GRAPHICS_PATH" variable to setup.cgi in case the graphics need to be placed in a different directory then the default. > Removed "login.html" and built it into "login.cgi" instead. > Removed unused graphic "bg2.jpg." > Optimized/compresses 2 large background graphics from 35k down to about 6k for much faster screen loading. > Revised some of the installation instructions in readme.txt *------------------------------------- * JabberChat Version 1.0a (7-12-1999) *------------------------------------- > Initial Release - JabberChat becomes reality!