Edoropolis Emporium

Every once in a while people ask about adding a chat feature. Once or twice I looked into it but didn't find a solution that'd fit the bill-- either some shady 3rd party site was involved, or it took ages to start the java interpreter or it needed flash- overkill if you ask me.
And then there's the point of integrating the chat into the Edoropolis Emporium-- the last thing you'd want is someone impersonating you on chat.

The last search proved fruitful, or at least it looks like I found a half-decent solution.
After some modifications, it's in a beta state of sorts; see http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/chat/ (http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/chat/) . Your forums username is your chat nick, which can't be changed.
So if you want to chat, try it and leave some feedback please ;) I might be online there, but remember that I'm most probably doing other things on the computer or am afk, so don't be offended if I don't reply or even quit the chat on you.
I consider this chat an experiment since I have no idea how popular it's going to be and how people are going to behave. That means it can stop at any time and I've given all admins and moderators a killswitch to use at their discretion. Nothing against our community, but having seen IRC I've learned to expect anything from a live chat service  ;] When the chat seems to be working OK I'll consult with the regular forum admins and founders how to integrate the chat into the forums better (for example, by adding a button somewhere).
Happy chatting!

Ok, there right with Mechadon and Harmonex

THIS IS BOLOGNA AND CHEESE SANDWICHES!!!!!!

Good to see some changes. Nice job, Purrcat.

Thanks!

To elaborate a bit about the design decisions; in absence of a more profession artist, the look&feel of the chat is kept as close to the forums as possible. The chat might keep its own tab or be integrated-- this is something for D-Mac and/or Supersonic to decide.
It's possible to create your own chatroom, and PM each other-- I've retained as much freedom as possible. Your nick is a noteworthy exception. When the chat is closely connected to, or even hosted by the same provider as the spcforums, it would be unthinkable that a nickname can be trivially spoofed (meaning: anything less than cracking someone's forum account).
I've thought of several solutions to allow nick changes, but none are obvious to a new user. Clarity before anything, so no nick changes.
The software seems to make up a nick color at random. This is just stupid and will be changed. Changed in what way? Dunno yet. Suggestions?
At the moment, the spcforums admins & moderators, and of course our Bunny Princess, have ops (admin privileges for the IRC illiterates) on the chat. However a forum isn't a chat so I don't consider that policy absolute (no offense fellow admins, moderators and Bunny Princess ;))

I didn't prefer an web-to-IRC gateway since most IRC networks don't allow more than a few users originating from the same web spot (IP address). It'd get k-lined or something IRCish like that :] Not to mention DDOSed, flooded et cetera. On top of that, there's no way to know for certain that one's nick is free on the IRC network.

Giving away control is generally a bad thing on the internet. No company in their right mind would just give away stuff (in this case a chat framework/service) without getting something useful back (hmmm maybe the topics people like to chat about?). So 3rd party chat framework/service providers were never considered. Now please don't go posting that our friendly Big Brother Google really is that altruistic without any kind of ulterior motive ;]

And really, if you have suggestions, comments, want to complain or whatever, please post it (or PM me)!
For example, I can image it being useful to somehow hyperlink from the chat to some spcforums post. Or to a torrent or youtube video somewhere. Now I needn't mention the dangers of allowing links to any kind of file, or allowing html in general, so that won't happen. But would some sort of controlled convenience feature like this be useful?

I think that message about IRC in the top-right corner of the forum should be replaced with link to the chat.
Sounds reasonable about the Nihonbare room, I don't think I would be there any often either though.

Thanks for the input-- I don't post often and also don't lurk too much but somehow I grew immune to the IRC message at the top. Maybe since it's not surrounded by an important looking item box.
Does anyone know how the IRC chat is running along? If it's completely dead then yeah, maybe just replacing the info is enough. However, some people are IRC regulars and value it not only for social contacts but also for work related stuff. Removing the IRC message, provided the channel isn't dead, would feel a little drastic in my opinion. I'm not a chatroom kinda guy so I wouldn't know.
Makes me remember that I did remove prominent torrent forum link in favor of the files.edoropolis.org announcement. Maybe it shouldn't have been completely removed. But the first and possibly second link I tried pointed to dead ends so I concluded the post was obsolete.

Sweet!

talking about those colors....this is my theory.
I could be wrong but since there are commata between the colors the browser may dont "know" how which is the right one at the moment someone joins-> random color.
I just ask myself why some colors seem to be prefered by the software because some of those never appeared like #000000 and #CCCCCC
worth a try?

This is the pizza shop where I'm certain that fire originated.

You'll also notice I thought of a new way of spelling "apartment".

(http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/7164/mechafire.jpg)

There with Vivian...

is it possible to display the people in the chat as "online" here at the forum? that would be quite usefull

Try using a diferent browser...

Ok,  right there with Harmonex who ignores I am in the chat because his PC sucks!

Is Saturday, where the hell is everyone?

There with Ane, Mr.NoName , Romero and Harmonex... wow people!

what just happened to the chat?

I can't get on.

I think changing my name to \/iolet was an evil evil thing.

Yah, When i changed my name back, i could go on the chat again.

I'm guessing the \ messed something up.

I blame the Anon's for everything. The made me do it with peer pressure.

I cant make a chat room. Help me!

There with Ane, Mr.NoName , Romero and Harmonex... talking about nothing and doing nothing!

 8)

I'm in the chat room.

There with Ichigo Momomiya and Von Oz

i'm in the chat.

I'm in the chat.

Well, I sure hope the place gets filled this Saturday... I could not be there the past Saturday because  it was my aunt sixty year birthday... she plants to retire next year.

I can only be there for so long, me and my borther usually watch a nostalgia critic every night, so I won't be there for long :(

There should be an access to the chat at the top of the forum, like there used to be information there on how to go to the extinct irc chat-room.

Speaking of IRC, what format is the chat based on?
I asking because I can't use it on my android which works with most chatting services I've used.

You have to use software (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Relay_Chat#Clients) that support IRC.

I know how to use IRC thank you.
what I was wondering is what the edo-chat is based on, because it's not IRC.

 Edoropolis Emporium Chatroom is based on javascript. Javascript chats have some advantages over irc chat, they cant be blocked unless you use something like Noscript or disable javascript in your browser, and can be used with people that has no clue on how to use an irc client (And are better for privacy or so I heard). Some of the disadvantages are: Is that is hard to keep a log, unless you keep coping and pasting, it may be buggy sometimes, eat text, kick out people that doesn't type, stop updating text unless you reload the page and so on. That problems may apply or not to the chatroom, I just numbered all the problems I have ever had with javascript based chatrooms.

Thanks Blackcat!

Romero just got two of these.... oh no.  :-[

John Madden's City Bus.

I got what?

right now there beeing bored

For once I didn't miss it.

I'm am in chat  :P