Atalk
A-Talk is a server based Instant Messenger (IM). It allows you to connect to other users on the server and talk to them via the client.
At the moment you can enter into the iGoogle Applications for A-Talk. This will allow you to have your own e-mail address with A-Talk, as well as your own personalized iGoogle page.
Client
A-Talk is currently in version 1.0.3 and is now in BETA for version 2. Version 2 will allow you to talk to anyone on the server without entering rooms.
A-Talk has many functions and more and more are being added, some of these are listed below.
Registering
To use A-Talk, you must first register. This is done via the client. All you need to produce is your preferred username, password, nickname and your current e-mail address. All of this information will then be sent to the server to check, and then will allow you to log on. All personal information will be stored securely on a database located with the server.
Customization
Users can customize the way that A-Talk looks by changing background. They can choose from colours such as blue, black & red, orange, purple and green.
Hiding to tray
Another function of A-Talk is its ability to hide in the system tray. This allows users to hide the program from other people either walking past or watching them.
Chat Rooms
As well as talking with just one friend as a normal IM, you can also talk with many friends in a Chat Room. You can do all of the things that you can do in a normal IM window, but talk to many users at once.
Users can also create chat rooms for themselves and other users, although the user will need to know the password to create a room or the server administrator will need to authorise the creation of it.
Saving Logs
A-Talk has the ability to save any talking that you do to your friends with the use of logs. The user is able to chose whether they want to save these as plain text files, or Rich Text Format. The user can also chose if they would like to save the logs or not.
Smilies
In chat rooms and single user talking, you can use smilies. So far there are the common smile, sad, cry, tongue, big grin etc. and there will be more added in later versions to come.
Updater
This small program that comes with the A-Talk client. It allows you to check that you have the most up-to-date version of the client and if not, then to download and update it.
Server
The server for A-Talk is also in the BETA stages (B24). The server will be released soon after version 2 of the client. The server will be downloadable for certain users, with request, and allow them to host there own server for either their work, college, school university etc.
Web
The server also work as a basic web server that supports .html documents as well as transferring files through the protocol HTTP.
Remote Control
The server also comes with a program that allow you to connect to the server and conduct basic commands via a command line. There are commands such as shut-down, restart, stats and create room, more will be added soon.