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Grex > Coop11 > #148: Request for ideas and comments: web-party | |
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spooked
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Request for ideas and comments: web-party
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Dec 17 14:56 UTC 1999 |
I have to undertake an honours level project for my Bachelor of Information
Technology (Honours) degree award next year. In preliminary discussions with
fellow Grex staffers, I suggested (and it was agreed) that a web-interface
to the popular textual version of party be designed and coded. Alongwith a
window where one could send 'tel'-like messages to fellow Grexers, this would
give Grex a neat web interface to the conferences through Backtalk, and party
through web-party (though we will think of a cooler name for this), and a
small window for 'tel'-like messages, and ideally with only one login
authentication needed (i.e. you wouldn't have to log in using username and
password to Backtalk and then again to web-party). What I now need is
discussion from the greater Grex community. This project will be demanding
(the authentication problem alone is going to be very thronny), so I don't
want anyone expecting web-party in the next few months. It will evolve, like
all projects. I would first hope for lots of discussion on the interface
Grexers desire. Then I could mock up some prototype 'dumb'(meaning
non-interactive) interface designs to see if you like them. In the meantime,
I also have to think (in the background) about the client-server protocol.
For the technical minded, this is looking like a project where I have to go
client-server, probably using a Java applet on the frontend, and a C program
(or more likely set of C programs) for the server (backend) role.
Thanks for your help. Despite what some people might think, I'm not all that
experienced a programmer, and this project will be exceptionally chanllenging
for me, but for Grex (which I love with a passion) I'm willing to lose some
more hair (afterall it's pretty grey anyways!:)
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| 49 responses total. |
remmers
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response 1 of 49:
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Dec 17 15:43 UTC 1999 |
The best way to get experience is by doing stuff. I'm glad you're
undertaking this, and that you're soliciting user input from the
beginning.
Offhand, I don't see the authentication problem as being that big. Even
in the worst case, having to log in twice wouldn't be all that odious.
But it can probably be avoided.
Doing this as a Java applet is the only way I can think of to make the
interaction tolerably fast, which is what you want for party. I've used
one or two Java-based web chatrooms, and they work reasonably well.
What will probably be the trickiest part of this is to make it
interoperable with the tty-based party/tel facilities, so that people
will see the same stream of party text regardless of whether they're
logged in via the web or via telnet/dialup. An interesting problem will
be how to handle !tel -- the software will have to figure out whether
the person you're telegramming is on the web or not, and do the right
thing in either case.
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gypsi
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response 2 of 49:
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Dec 17 16:32 UTC 1999 |
That's what I was thinking, but I feel strange adding my two cents worth when
I don't know a thing about programming... (the part about recognizing which
interface <?> someone is using).
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pfv
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response 3 of 49:
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Dec 17 16:51 UTC 1999 |
OK, I posted to the prior item.. But, techie - I'll try here..
1) mod_auth_external (see Janc's webpage) is the way to do the
authentication.. Talk to the Backtalk-Boys, but I believe
your server will simply need a permission. After that,
you use the Backtalk database.
2) mod_cgisock (it's on the web) is a slick little Apache module
that permits a browser to hit httpd, and get a unix-socket
straight into a running daemon/server on the host.
I've modded the module & browbeaten the author: he's going
to look into a better "protocol", but at this time, my
mods seem to be working fine. (I want to look into using
OOB data, but otherwise.. I'm REAL happy.) I can provide
you with a tarball of his cgisock plus my testbeds and
Cserver source, as well as the little "block" I added to
"httpd.conf".
3) Java.. I don't let mine run.. Don't plan on it, either. I've
always relied on Javascript, even if "less powerful".
Personally, I dislike the idea of having to download & run
something I can't read on my side.. I know, it sounds
wacky. I'm not sure why Java would *have* to be used,
unless you are shooting for some sorta' wildly-slick GUI?
I dunno' - you'd have to "sell me" on the idea.
If I can help out, let me know..
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remmers
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response 4 of 49:
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Dec 17 18:19 UTC 1999 |
Re Java: Party is supposed to be a real-time application (minimal delay
between somebody typing something and having it show up on everybody
else's screen), and it's supposed to update the display incrementally,
i.e. when new text appears, the previous text should just scroll up
without the whole window having to be refreshed. Java is the only thing
I know of that (a) can do that and (b) is widely supported by web
browsers. Is there something else that can?
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pfv
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response 5 of 49:
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Dec 17 19:01 UTC 1999 |
I don't know, but I'd love to find out. After all, if we can
suffer animated trash when browsing, there must be a way.
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