Pichat Road Map (Old Versions)

Last update 27/May/2008 by Mark Seuffert

Version history

The following is the version history for old Pichat v0.4.1:

New in B41

chat status page shows users in entrance (for Nacho)
chat server user number is updated delayed, less traffic on very active servers
cleaned up internal chat actions
INI file: new setting WebchatTextBreakLength=40, [Server] section
INI file: new setting WebchatLinkBreakLength=40, [Server] section
INI file: new setting UserNumberUpdateIntervall=20, [Server] section
bugfix: webchat login shows correct error message

New in B40

added command /ROOMMODE for chat admins
added conference rooms and moderated chatrooms
server logfile shows user permission problems in server debug mode
INI file: new setting ChatroomEnterInAny=1, [Server Permissions] section

New in B39

chat admins with ability to ban users (for Phantomix and Domk)
added commands /BAN, /UNBAN, /USERMODE for chat admins
cleaned up commands and arguments, no extrawurscht
user identification and session management updated
INI file: new setting UserTypeDefault=USER_NORMAL, [Server Permissions] section
INI file: new setting VisitorRestrictionLevel=0, [Server Permissions] section
INI file: new setting ZombieQuitTime=120, [Server Permissions] section
INI file: new setting VisitorQuitTime=3600, [Server Permissions] section
INI file: new setting NormalQuitTime=0, [Server Permissions] section
INI file: new setting ChatroomBanTime=120, [Server Permissions] section

New in B38

added commands /ADMIN, /BROADCAST for chat admins
added tool to change user permission, server supports SHA-256 and plaintext passwords
improved HTML version of documentation, clickable section links
INI file: new section [Server Permissions], moved some server settings to it
INI file: new setting UserPermissionsFile, [Server Permissions] section
INI file: new setting ChatroomBanned=Zillout, [Server Permissions] section
INI file: new setting DisabledCommands, [Client] section
INI file: new setting ChatAdminCommands=1, [GUI] section
INI file: changed setting AutoQuitWebchatAfterIdle=10800, [Server] section

New in B37

webchat porting finished, private release party with pizza and beer :)
added a newbie friendly introduction to user handbook
added topic and chatroom user list to webchat parser arguments (for Nacho)
bugfix: chat locations are treated case insensitive (bug 1043)
bugfix: URL encoding corrected (bug 1042)

New in B36

refactored server classes for ordered handling of socket write errors
refactored network class event handling to be more flexible
webchat shows if user is disconnected or blocked by a proxy
INI file: changed setting WebchatPageRefreshIntervall=240, [Server] section
bugfix: redirect works again with webchat help (bug 1041)
bugfix: FF does not steal input focus with webchat sound effects (bug 1039)
bugfix: GUI sound effects work again on Windows XP

New in B35

web server stress testing with siege and torture, improved transactions per second
web server supports logfile with referer and user agent
refactored HTTP class for more efficient use of TCP and better caching of static content
INI file: new setting ServerHttpLogfile=pichat_webserver.log, [Server] section
INI file: renamed setting ServerLogfile to ServerChatLogfile, [Server] section
INI file: renamed setting ServerLogfileHourStatus to ServerHourStatus, [Server] section
INI file: more default users in MaxUsersTextchat and MaxUsersWebchat, [Server] section
bugfix: Accept-Encoding header with wildcard also triggers content compression
bugfix: transition between server timeouts works properly

New in B34

webchat templates cleanup, most pages are HTML/CSS validated, porting step 14
splitting content and layout where possible, generally better use of CSS, no inline style/scripting where it makes sense, no uppercase or obsolete tags
web server with default entry page
INI file: new setting ServerDefaultEntryPage=1, [Server] section
INI file: new settings WebPageHeader and WebPageFooter, [Server] section

New in B33

webchat templates more flexible, porting step 13
color shemes with alternative colors for text and background
ghost session resurrection (for Nacho and Domk), regain nickname after disconnect
INI file: new setting GhostSessionResurrection=1, [Client] section
INI file: changed setting WebchatStreamPaddingSize=1024, [Server] section
bugfix: stream padding uses uncompressed byte size, for brain dead browsers

New in B32

webchat templates more comfortable, porting step 12
bigger chat input with cursor hotkeys, requires web browser with JavaScript
chat input history places cursor at end of line and ignores empty lines
command /ECHO shows chat output settings, /TIMESTAMP for all chat users
added session management with resurrection, protocol updated
INI file: new setting WebchatPageRefreshIntervall=300, [Server] section
INI file: changed setting WebchatStreamForceIntervall=15, [Server] section
INI file: changed setting NachoTimeStampLevel=2, [GUI] section
INI file: removed setting HistoryUniqueEntries, [GUI] section

New in B31

experimental new webchat templates for tester, porting step 11
webchat control bar with list of chatrooms and smileys
multi language welcome message, various language resource updates
INI file: removed setting Welcome, [Pichat] section
INI file: moved setting ServerName and ServerVersion to [Pichat Profile] section
INI file: new setting Interests=chat, [Pichat Profile] section

New in B30

webchat with automatic LAG detection, porting step 10
webchat is more HTTP cache friendly, reduced parsed files and login traffic
command /PING and /LAG with estimated time for webchat users, always good to have
INI file: renamed setting ServerHttpRoot and all HTTP locations, [Server] section
INI file: renamed setting WebchatBrowserStatic to WebchatBrowserSimple, [Server] section
INI file: new setting DataCompressionFileSizeMin=128, [Server] section
INI file: new setting WebchatEnableLagDetection=1, [Server] section

New in B29

webchat with sound, porting step 9
configurable sound effects (for Domk and Jamie), ping/pong sounds included
configurable chat server actions for invoking external programs or scripts
investigated how to fork processes from a thread
hyperlink parsing allows comma and semicolon in URLs
INI file: renamed Enable3dVisualisation to MainWindow3dCheckbox, [GUI section]
INI file: removed 'phantomix', [GUI Connect List Favourites] section
INI file: new section [GUI Sounds], also moved setting EnableSoundEffects to it
INI file: new section [Server Actions]

New in B28

refactored webchat parser, more flexible and with changed syntax
session management prevents collisions with old session IDs
bugfix: webchat parser prevents code injection (Cross Side Scripting)
bugfix: chat output drawing code is more defensive, hopefully (bug 1036)
bugfix: using latest zlib library (Windows version has static library linked)

New in B27

webchat with response for commands which are not supported, porting step 8
private messages in web/text chat show once how to answer
chat status available as RSS feed, let's be nice to the semantic web
chat status with activity statistics and optional full hour status in logfile
server logfile shows more/different information in server debug mode
more documentation about chat personalisation, status and statistics
INI file: renamed setting Port to PortChat, [Server] section
INI file: new setting ServerLogfileHourStatus=0, [Server] section
INI file: new setting MaxUsersPichat=100, [Server] section
bugfix: file transfar works properly with persistent connections

New in B26

webchat with humble improvements for users behind proxy, porting step 7
server logfile shows possible webchat problems in server debug mode
server logfile with system info in server debug mode
automatic browser detection also catches broken browsers, lots of testing
directory listing shows rounded file size
INI file: renamed settings WebchatBrowserNormal/Dynamic/Static/Unsupported, [Server] section
INI file: changed setting WebchatSessionIpNetmask=30, [Server] section
INI file: new setting WebchatStreamPaddingSize=2048, [Server] section
INI file: new setting WebchatStreamForceIntervall=10, [Server] section
bugfix: hyperlink parsing and graphic parsing more strict (bug 1035)

New in B25

webchat with smileys and graphics, porting step 6
reorganised image names, ca 100 images included with chat server
refactored chat graphics class and added GUI independent version for server
server logfile shows compression library problems on startup (bug 1033)
server logfile shows invalid chatroom names on startup (bug 1034)
INI file: new setting WebchatSessionIpNetmask = 28, [Server] section
INI file: new setting WebchatSmileysAndGraphicsLevel = 5, [Server] section

New in B24

resource tool supports command line arguments and configuration file
bugfix: nickname is taken from a valid login name (bug 1032)
bugfix: POST method works properly with persistent connections

New in B23

webchat with improvements for slow internet connections, porting step 5
web server supports persistent connections and chunked transfer
auto unaway also for webchat and simple text chat (bug 1028)
INI file: renamed setting AutoAwayAfter to AutoAwayAfterIdle, [GUI] section
INI file: new setting DataTransferKeepAlive=30, [Server] section
INI file: new setting DataTransferPersistentMax=500, [Server] section
INI file: new setting AutoAwayTextchatLevel=1, [Server] section
INI file: new setting AutoAwayWebchatLevel=1, [Server] section

New in B22

webchat and dynamic web pages use default color sheme, porting step 4
command /COLORS for webchat users, requires web browser with CSS, JavaScript and DOM
GUI with assistant button to toggle color sheme (day/night mode)
refactored chat colors class, updated color shemes format, more internal restructuring
INI file: renamed setting AssistantButtons to AssistantButtonsLevel, [GUI] section
INI file: renamed section [GUI Color Shemes] to [Color Shemes]

New in B21

webchat with clickable hyperlinks, porting step 3
hyperlinks in webchat via redirector to protect user's identity
refactored chat hyperlinks class, meta chars in URLs are filtered out
external temperature sensor with sun shield, available in Malmö
web server supports '304 Not Modified', now is allround HTTP 1.0/1.1 server

New in B20

webchat with multi language login and status page, porting step 2
covering wide range of web browsers including text browsers and broken ones
commands /CLEAR and /ECHOSCREEN for webchat users
server logfile shows web browser user agent in server debug mode
INI file: new setting AutoAwayWebchatAfterIdle=900, [Server] section
INI file: new setting AutoQuitWebchatAfterIdle=3600, [Server] section
INI file: new setting WebchatBrowserDynamicOnly=MSIE,Opera, [Server] section
INI file: new setting WebchatBrowserStaticOnly=Lynx, [Server] section

New in B19

very simple webchat, ported my old Perl HTTP chat daemon from 1998
protocol and error handling updated again, more flexible for future purpose
INI file: new setting ServerRootHTTPLocationChat=/chat, [Server] section
INI file: new setting ServerRootHttpLocationMedia=/chatmedia, [Server] section
INI file: changed setting MaxUsersWebchat=5, [Server] section
bugfix: admins can change language also when being in offline mode
bugfix: solved race condition when two users log in with same nickname

New in B18

chat server with compression public available, protocol and error handling updated
chat clients won't transfar chat conversation as plaintext anymore
web server supports GET/HEAD/POST methods and dynamic parsed web pages
server logfile shows handshake errors

New in B17

experimental chat server with compression for tester
refactored network classes for improved handling of line based and binary protocols
server logfile and traffic statistics show overall compression ratio
resizer and splitter class detect dead window handles in debug builds
bugfix: aliases work on first start (bug 1025)

New in B16

builtin web server, small HTTP 1.0/1.1 server
web server supports partial file transfar, compression and directory browsing
INI file: new setting ServerRootHttp=webserver, [Server] section
INI file: new setting ServerRootHttpLocationStatus=/chatstatus, [Server] section
INI file: new setting ServerMimeFile=, [Server] section
INI file: new setting DataTransfarTimeout=10, [Server] section
INI file: new setting DataTransfarBufferSize=16384, [Server] section
INI file: new setting DataCompressionFileSizeMax=1048576 (1MB), [Server] section
INI file: new setting DataCompressionFilesExclude=gif,gz,jpeg,jpg,mp3,mpeg,mpg,tgz,zip [Server] section
INI file: new setting DirectoryBrowsing=1, [Server] section

New in B15

experimental web server
updated traffic statistics, web traffic now means all headers plus payload
added multi platform file directory class, new functionality test
added multi platform data compression class based on zlib, new functionality test
Windows uses zlib static library, Linux uses zlib shared library

New in B14

chatrooms can be accessed by name or number, Domk deluxe request
friendly and forced shutdown of server, a lot of testing
INI file, new setting DisconnectTimeout=20, [Server] section

New in B13

profiling to improve asynchronous bulk data transfar
refactored network classes for proper disconnect (active/passive/gracefull close)
refactored network classes for easier use and maintainability
added functionality tests for file, network and thread classes
bugfix: small multi language update (bug 1024)

New in B12

command /CHATROOMS, list chatrooms on a chat server
last chatroom is preferably used on rejoin
optionally show topic and user list when joining a chatroom
optionally admins can see when new user has entered chat (in any chatroom)
INI file: new setting ChatroomTopic=1, [GUI] section
INI file: new setting ChatroomUsers=0, [GUI] section
INI file: new setting ChatServerJoins=0, [GUI] section
INI file: renamed setting ShowHighlight to Highlight, [GUI] section

New in B11

multiple chatrooms on chat server, including permanent chatrooms
commands /JOIN and /LEAVE, to join or leave a chatroom
INI file: renamed setting Topic to Welcome, [Pichat] section
INI file: new setting ChatroomAdminCanCreate=1, [Server] section
INI file: new setting ChatroomUserCanCreate=0, [Server] section
INI file: new setting ChatroomDefault=Entrance, [Server] section
INI file: new section [Server Chatrooms] with 4 default chatrooms
bugfix: small update of builtin language resources (bug 1023)

New in B10

simple contacts with EU and US chat server, double click will connect
added version and build number to crash report, silly without
port 9009 was officially assigned by IANA
INI file: new section [Pichat Profile]
INI file: new setting ServerName, [Server] section

New in B9

multi server support, including multiple startup connections
updated hotkeys Ctrl+N = new chat window, Ctrl+E = next color sheme (day/night mode)
server logfile shows full INI file path in server debug mode

New in B8

review of swedish translation, thanks Magnus!
changing color sheme is shown in all windows, similar to away change
server logfile with optional debug output for better trouble shooting
INI file: new setting ServerDebugMode=0, [Server] section
bugfix: dedicated server not freezing when disconnected from LAN (bug 1021)
bugfix: client shows better error text when disconnected from proxy

New in B7

multi language chat server, now supports loading own language packs
refactored file parser classes to be more flexible, as a side effect also became faster
home page with documentation for chat personalisation
INI file: changed sections [GUI Color Shemes] and [Languages], new format
INI file: renamed MainWindowEscKeyMinimize to MainWindowEscKeyMinimise, [GUI] section
INI file: renamed MainWindowAnimateMinimize to MainWindowAnimateMinimise, [GUI] section

New in B6

multi language chat server, English, German and Swedish language included
INI file: new setting LanguagesPreferred, [Languages] section
INI file: new setting LanguagesSupported=en,de,sv [Languages] section

New in B5

time stamp format in 12 and 24 hours
original nickname is preferably used on rejoin
simple text chat offers interactive and automatic login
first start detects if HTTP port 80 or alternative port 8008 available
home page with improved HTML version of documentation, Mozilla and IE friendly
INI file: new setting NachoTimeStampHours=24, [GUI] section
INI file: renamed setting ShowWelcomeMessage to ShowFirstStartMessage, [GUI] section
INI file: renamed section [Aliases] to [GUI Aliases]

New in B4

chat server status with traffic statistics
server logfile shows user and traffic statistics on shutdown
home page with HTML version of documentation, thanks Domk!

New in B3

Linux chat server public available after more testing, thanks Nacho!
command line argument for INI file path
support for local server logfile
INI file: new setting Enable3DVisualisation=1, [GUI] section
INI file: new setting ServerLogfile=pichat_server.log, [Server] section
INI file: added 'domk', [GUI Connect List Favourites] section

New in B2

experimental Linux chat server for tester
added multi platform resource management and resource tool
added multi platform buffered file and memory stream class, integrated everywhere
added multi platform file parser classes, refactored from old preferences code
added a simple status page for web browser

New in B1

new improved network core, tri-threaded asynchronous network model
ported network core to Linux and Windows, platform independent code is shared
added multi platform thread and locking classes
added multi platform thread safe event handler class (event queue)
added automatic timer events (can't flood event queue)

New in B0

summer cleanup: update of coding style, code with less comments but instead self explaining code and more design documents, strict encapsulation (composition rather than multiple/mixed inheritance), strict const correctness, strictly not poluting global namespace
redesigned engine classes and files for easier multi platform support, did some research and profiling to select appropriate design pattern
splitted up files, compiling from multiple directories
refactored network classes to use STL like string class (8 bit characters)
refactored network classes to get rid of duplicate code