Instant Messaging

[smilineric]

Hello everyone. I'm sorry if this was posted somewhere else but I did a search and couldn't seem to find anything. I think it would be a great feature to have an instant messaging option within roundcube. I know one of the things I enjoy most about other web based email programs is being able to reply back with an instant message if I see the person who just emailed me is online. Thanks and keep up the great work!

[Florianer]

Question: how should my web server know, that you are actually online (or logged into your web server)? I can maybe guess, that you are online than you send me a mail right now, and can immediately response to that mail - so, nothing against you - but shouldn't that better a function of ICQ or any other IM and not something for a webmail client? (OK, ICQ allows you to check your mails, but that is something different...)

[smilineric]

Hi Florianer, no offense taken. Those could be good reasons not to do it. There are however web based email with messengers built in (i.e. Gmail) and other web based IMs like MSN Web Messenger and Yahoo. These programs do work fine, I agree, but if I'm utilizing a web based email system I thought an integrated web based IM would be useful especially when you are on a computer other than your own. I can't always download ICQ onto a computer wherever I go. Anyway from the look at your post count you know far more than me so there could very well be other issues I haven't taken into consideration.

[Florianer]

Aha, OK, don't know about it, but if Google invented it, it would be a good idea, he? OK, serious again Did Google's IM still work with other mail programs? I hardly believe. I guess, this is a have-only feature for Google Mail users, right? Then, the technique is pretty simple. Google has its mail servers and know all there logged in users and can mark someone as online. But Round Cube is a web based frontend in a multi environmental email system and I have no idea how my mail server, presenting me my mails in RC, and e.g. a gmail or web mail (freemail) system will communicate to let each other know, that a user just signed in.
To realise this, every server has to communicate with all the other mail servers and tell them a login and a logout. Guess, this is far upon Roundcubes' possibilities, isn't it?
BTW: http://www.icq.com/download/icq2go/ no need to install it... only... your history isn't that nice like on a installed version. ICQ2003b fan

Compromise: Creating a special folder for an IM dialog between two persons. The emails are shown like an ICQ dialog and every new message is with the power of ajax added to the 'history'. Just an idea... but wouldn't this like emailing?

[jasonar]

Not to bump an old (or not), but I have an idea for this. It would work just like google mail, but in a different way, and it would require very many modifacations. The max would probably only be to edit 4 files. It would run through a database, and in the login template I would have to add an insert which set the users status to online in the database, and the same for the logout function, it would set it to offline. so thats it for the online status, now for the actual messaging first you would have to edit the mail.html template so that it shows a little chat box (easy part), second is the sender file, which processes the messages. in the mail template before the user is able to message another user it would have to check the status then if the status is online, the template sends the message to the processor which redirects it to the user receiving it.not a very good programmer but it seems pretty easy to me if someone wants to take this project up.

[Florianer]

But you will still have the problem, that your mail server with your Roundcube Chat Version is not able to talk to my mail server with Roundcube Chat Version. Or didn't I get the point? This would only be working, if I want to IM to an user on the same mail server - e. g. family, company, or to all the user, which are using my free mail services and Roundcube Chat Client... I still do not see this overall solution

[jasonar]

your right. But, it would work if it was for one server, which is what I meant. it wouldn't be possible to instant message another mail server if the other mail server doesn't have those capabilities. Just like with google, it run through their server to "Instant Email" people using THEIR service. But it would be a nice feature for people running a public mail server to users.

[Jojaf]

This would be a great feature to have. I am not a programmer but i am thinking a little chat box (sort of those plugins in CMS's) can be added to the theme for logged in users only. It can be separate from the mail system and in some way logged in users can subscribe to it and thus see who is online and chat with. Of course this would apply to only users on same RoundCube mail host and that is fine with me ..... I should look into implementing that when have time but I hope someone more experienced can do it sooner.

[grok]

Aha, OK, don't know about it, but if Google invented it, it would be a good idea, he? OK, serious again Did Google's IM still work with other mail programs? I hardly believe. I guess, this is a have-only feature for Google Mail users, right? Then, the technique is pretty simple. Google has its mail servers and know all there logged in users and can mark someone as online. But Round Cube is a web based frontend in a multi environmental email system and I have no idea how my mail server, presenting me my mails in RC, and e.g. a gmail or web mail (freemail) system will communicate to let each other know, that a user just signed in.
To realise this, every server has to communicate with all the other mail servers and tell them a login and a logout. Guess, this is far upon Roundcubes' possibilities, isn't it?
BTW: ICQ2Go! - ICQ Downloads - ICQ.com no need to install it... only... your history isn't that nice like on a installed version. ICQ2003b fan

Compromise: Creating a special folder for an IM dialog between two persons. The emails are shown like an ICQ dialog and every new message is with the power of ajax added to the 'history'. Just an idea... but wouldn't this like emailing?

1) Google didn't invent chat -- they're using XMPP (Jabber)

2) All that RC could do is to add a tiny XMPP chat client based on somehting like Strophe (Strophe). This means I could either use RC to access my chat or any other of million XMPP chat clients around.

3) There is no need to manage presence, message storage etc. -- this is managed by the jabber server.

4) chat logs can be simply stored in a special "chats" folder as messages.

Overall I believe this is a good idea, mercy of developers permitting having this implemented, either as a plug in or a core functionality.