Offer: new server for old Java chat client

Fire_Adept · **Posted:** November 11th, 2009, 3:53 am

Hey, so most of you don't know me, but the older folks probably do, and the powers that be may have some interest in this, so I figured I'd drop by and write up an open letter.

To make a long story short, the current chat client bothers me a lot. I got a few opinions to that effect, plus I'd heard a rumour that there was an interest in reviving the old client, so I've come to offer my services in C/C++ and Java. The old Java server had some major problems with crashing and halting that forced the move over to current chat setup, and I figure I can fix it, if there's still any interest. So, let me know what you think, if you have any questions or etc., feel free to ask. Thanks.

Jeroen · **Posted:** November 11th, 2009, 5:26 am

I was attempting a similar thing about a year back, I was creating a new chat with Java, modeled after the old one (or new one, depending on how far you look back, I'm referring to the last meepster chat)

I got to the point where you could log in (with hard coded credentials) and talk to each other, but it had a problem registering logouts sometimes and I couldn't reproduce the bug well enough to figure out what was causing it, and I dropped it

Also I didn't have a proper web host to run the server on

But despite not building a (properly) functioning chat, I have thought out most of the things I never made, and am interested in helping to make/discussing a new chat, if you'd like

Oh, and in case you have no idea who I am, I used to go by the username "G@mer" (I was a chat mod and all that)

Tanksandguns · **Posted:** November 11th, 2009, 6:18 am

Sounds like a good idea to me, Fant. I, however, don't speak for the Admin team, but you have my thumbs up!

Glodenox · **Posted:** November 11th, 2009, 6:34 am

Just two days ago I had a go at trying to get the old chat going as well

I've been looking for the section that was written in C++, but never found it in the files that I have...

If you want to have a go at it: feel free to. I'm very much interested in putting the Java chat back online. We can customise it pretty much like we've done to the current chat and it would finally lessen the strain that the chat puts on the server with all those unnecessary requests...

Greetings,
Glodenox

Jackstick · **Posted:** November 11th, 2009, 11:27 am

Glodenox wrote:

If you want to have a go at it: feel free to. I'm very much interested in putting the Java chat back online. We can customise it pretty much like we've done to the current chat and it would finally lessen the strain that the chat puts on the server with all those unnecessary requests...

Greetings,
Glodenox

That's great and all, but who would be in charge of keeping the new chat updated? The nice thing about the flash chat is that we have Jaron in charge of updating it. He's an active chat user, and chat mod, he's very familiar with the general atmosphere of the chatroom, and he's been doing an amazing job with updating and adding neat features to the flash chat. He's basically perfect for the job.

Personally, I wouldn't want us to go back to meepchat or some sort of java chat unless it's something that Jaron can manage and update. The FlashChat isn't perfect, but it's not really that bad either. It's a lot better now compared to last year, anyway.

Anyway that's just my opinon. :^_^:

Tom · **Posted:** November 11th, 2009, 12:11 pm

Meepster's chat <33

hiker · **Posted:** November 11th, 2009, 2:03 pm

Hiya Fant!

Actually, it seems we need to do something about the chat-- using flash chat on the new server, we've discovered it's a HUGE drain on the server resources-- there are times it uses up to 50% of the existing resources, it creates some HUGE transaction files that must frequently cleaned out-- almost daily-- and is the likely source for the two times this new server has crashed.

So maybe your offer comes at a good time-- perhaps it could be designed in such a way that in the future it can be maintained and modified in some ways by Jaron.

Maybe make this another team effort with you as the lead?

We can allot some work space on the server, and since we now have a VPS, can upload libraries that may be required.

whatever you do, needs to be worked out through Glodenox, since he is our technical admin, but it sounds like a good idea.

Fire_Adept · **Posted:** November 11th, 2009, 4:14 pm

Jeroen wrote:

I was attempting a similar thing about a year back, I was creating a new chat with Java, modeled after the old one (or new one, depending on how far you look back, I'm referring to the last meepster chat)
(snip)
Oh, and in case you have no idea who I am, I used to go by the username "G@mer" (I was a chat mod and all that)

Yeah, I remember who you are.

As far as the old chat client, I don't think it worked badly, it's the server that was causing trouble. With the source to both the client and server, though, we can improve on them as needed. Once we've got something working, then we can work on improvements and such.

Glodenox wrote:

Just two days ago I had a go at trying to get the old chat going as well

I've been looking for the section that was written in C++, but never found it in the files that I have...

If you want to have a go at it: feel free to. I'm very much interested in putting the Java chat back online. We can customise it pretty much like we've done to the current chat and it would finally lessen the strain that the chat puts on the server with all those unnecessary requests...

Greetings,
Glodenox

That's actually what I'd heard - that you had been working on getting the old server running again - that prompted me to make this offer.

As far as I know, it was written entirely in Java. I don't mind Java, but I think I can write a much more efficient client in C/C++. I've been talking with meepster about it, and he agrees and would like to help. We've gotten a ton better at programming since way back when, so there's no reason we can't write ourselves a decent client/server chat. :^_^:

Jackstick wrote:

That's great and all, but who would be in charge of keeping the new chat updated?

I'm not trying to usurp anyone here, so I don't see why the current staff can't maintain it. It's just that no one around here seems to have succeeded in getting the old chat running again, and I've heard a lot of comments to the effect that they want it. I don't plan to keep the server closed source - I've got more pride in my work than that

- so there's no reason the system can't be maintained by the staff after its creation. It's just that I've learned more than enough to write this thing in the time I've been away, and I'd like to write this thing.

hiker wrote:

Hiya Fant!

Actually, it seems we need to do something about the chat-- using flash chat on the new server, we've discovered it's a HUGE drain on the server resources-- there are times it uses up to 50% of the existing resources, it creates some HUGE transaction files that must frequently cleaned out-- almost daily-- and is the likely source for the two times this new server has crashed.

So maybe your offer comes at a good time-- perhaps it could be designed in such a way that in the future it can be maintained and modified in some ways by Jaron.

Maybe make this another team effort with you as the lead?

We can allot some work space on the server, and since we now have a VPS, can upload libraries that may be required.

whatever you do, needs to be worked out through Glodenox, since he is our technical admin, but it sounds like a good idea.

Hey, how've things been around here? I've dropped by on occasion, but not really enough to know what's going on, besides some manner of server failure that occurred.

As I'd mentioned, I plan to keep it open source (presumably GPL, since that's what the original client and server were licensed under), so I'm hoping that maintenance wouldn't be an issue. As it is, I can test on my own hardware and that of some friends: I've got a server I can test with, and once we're further along, we can get a test server up on the site itself and see how well it handles the client loads.

It would be good, however, to have server space to get information on the server stats and make sure what we're writing will work on it.

The main disadvantage of C/C++ is that it needs to be compiled for various Unices, as you're probably well aware, so I want to be sure it'll work properly there.

As far as a team effort goes, who all would be interested in involvement? As it is, meepster and I are going to work on it together, and I don't want to sound dismissive, but we would be able to do this fairly quickly. Regardless, if there are people interested, it's quite possible we could find some use for additional programmers.

I'll go ahead and contact Glodenox once I get back from the dining hall. Thanks to everyone for the interest and I hope to have something up and working for you guys soon.

[EDIT: made that second-to-last paragraph less vague]

Jeroen · **Posted:** November 11th, 2009, 4:26 pm

I'm definitely interested, if only to learn from it, I don't have to work on it, I know that things like this go faster when there's not too many people working on it

Also, I have no C(++) experience whatsoever so I wouldn't even be of any help there

Tanksandguns · **Posted:** November 11th, 2009, 4:32 pm

Sounds awesome, Fant! Keep us updated!

Glodenox · **Posted:** November 11th, 2009, 4:36 pm

I've got little experience with C++ actually. I've learnt more C than C++, but I know how the syntax looks and pretty much know how it is executed.

I assume you guys are still going to have a Java client? And have C++ take care of the connections on the server side?

Greetings,
Glodenox

Seifer439 · **Posted:** November 11th, 2009, 6:32 pm

Tell meepster I still love him and he needs to come back. I miss his inky shadows and Cthulhu.

Also, I like the thought of having the java chat back, so long it can be maintained and updated as necessary, like others have said.

Frogger · **Posted:** November 11th, 2009, 9:32 pm

The server meepster wrote is very delicate.. I still have the latest copy of it. It's a weird combination of Java and PHP. And there's a lot of memory leaks.. It seemed to like to hog an average of 400mb of RAM when running on a busy time. A rewrite of it would be nice. The client I think runs fine, other than it relies on the PHP for the DB. It should really just be all handled through Java's MySQL function (I don't really know much about it, but I know it has one)...

Tweedy · **Posted:** November 11th, 2009, 11:45 pm

Hey Fant, nice to see you drop by again! A new chat would be wonderful - Jaron has done a marvellous job with the current chat but he has to work within its limitations and its limitations are rather numerous.

Fire Adept wrote:

As far as a team effort goes, who all would be interested in involvement? As it is, meepster and I are going to work on it together, and I don't want to sound dismissive, but we would be able to do this fairly quickly. Regardless, if there are people interested, it's quite possible we could find some use for additional programmers.

I suspect hiker meant a team effort more in the sense that we (that is to say the chat users) would like some input into what features would be added. As far as actual coding goes...Glode is likely to be too busy to devote much time to it but Jaron may like to be involved in some of the coding, particularly if he is going to be at least partly responsible for maintaining it.

Glodenox · **Posted:** November 12th, 2009, 12:24 pm

Zapp wrote:

The client I think runs fine, other than it relies on the PHP for the DB. It should really just be all handled through Java's MySQL function (I don't really know much about it, but I know it has one)...

For the client, a PHP page suffices (or most likely just C++, like all other chat functions are going to be). If we'd want to use the MySQL connector for Java, we'll end up needing to provide the username and password of our database, which is obviously a serious security threat

Greetings,
Glodenox

Jeroen · **Posted:** November 12th, 2009, 12:32 pm

Glodenox wrote:

Zapp wrote:

The client I think runs fine, other than it relies on the PHP for the DB. It should really just be all handled through Java's MySQL function (I don't really know much about it, but I know it has one)...

For the client, a PHP page suffices (or most likely just C++, like all other chat functions are going to be). If we'd want to use the MySQL connector for Java, we'll end up needing to provide the username and password of our database, which is obviously a serious security threat

Greetings,
Glodenox

Well you don't have to let the client connect to the database of course, you could just let it connect to the server, and let the server connect to the database, that would be safe

Frogger · **Posted:** November 12th, 2009, 6:51 pm

Jeroen wrote:

Glodenox wrote:

Zapp wrote:

The client I think runs fine, other than it relies on the PHP for the DB. It should really just be all handled through Java's MySQL function (I don't really know much about it, but I know it has one)...

For the client, a PHP page suffices (or most likely just C++, like all other chat functions are going to be). If we'd want to use the MySQL connector for Java, we'll end up needing to provide the username and password of our database, which is obviously a serious security threat

Greetings,
Glodenox

Well you don't have to let the client connect to the database of course, you could just let it connect to the server, and let the server connect to the database, that would be safe

What he said.

Animal · **Posted:** November 13th, 2009, 2:18 am

Wasn't Mogo working on a Java chat a year or so ago? Did that get scraped or something?

I personnally hate the flashchat and I would be willing to do anything I possibly can to have it replaced.

Mackerel · **Posted:** November 13th, 2009, 5:18 am

Hi Fant, good to see you again

Like most of the other chat users that got to experience meep's chat I'd love to see it make a return if you could unscramble the problems and make a stable chat out of it.. Reducing the stress on the server would just be an added bonus.

Gogo

Snake1235 · **Posted:** November 13th, 2009, 9:36 am

I for one would really miss the chat we have now. It wasn't great at first, but it's got a lot of great features now. Would it be easy to move all the features in the current chat over?

Offer: new server for old Java chat client

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