Internet: ELS set to debut DigiChat Java pack

MacWeek, March 16, 1998 by Andrea Dudrow

The Java-based DigiChat comprises a server and a client that runs within a Web browser. The company said the server can accommodate an unlimited number of chat sites.

The package includes a Server Administrator Application that can remotely configure the server from a Web browser, ELS said. The Server Administrator tool also allows Webmasters to track user connections and server errors and assign passwords.

Other administration features include a ChatGuardian that will blur words that Webmasters have defined as objectionable, the company said.

On the site level, Webmasters can use DigiChat to broadcast messages to all currently connected users, and they can disconnect specific visitors, ELS said. The software allows Webmasters to create custom user icons and site logos.

The DigiChat client gives users the capability to move among all chat rooms on a Web site and lets them assign sounds to particular events, ELS said. Other features include the capability to send private messages and to configure the software to ignore messages from specific users.

ELS said it expects DigiChat to ship by the end of the month; however, it said customers can download the beta now and purchase a license key to extend its functionality. Pricing starts at $371 for a small-business license; this price will increase to $495 when the final version ships.

ELS Inc. of Gainesville, Fla., can be reached at (352) 375-0558; fax (352) 375-5679; info@digichat.com; http://www.digichat.com.