/subway

A web based IRC client with grand ambitions.

Primary LanguageJavaScript

Subway

Subway is a web-based IRC client with a multi-user backend and a JavaScript-heavy UI. Frontend/backend communication is done with websockets (or best available fallback where not available). The backend supports connection persistence and optional logging when the browser disconnects.

Subway is built with node.js, node-irc and Backbone.js and jQuery on the frontend.

Screenshots

Overview Chat

Installation

Should be something like this, once implemented:

  1. Assuming you already have node.js, and npm, run:

     $ git clone https://github.com/thedjpetersen/subway.git
     $ cd subway
    
  2. Install the dependencies using npm:

     $ npm install
    
  3. Launch the web server

     $ ./subway
    
  4. Point your browser at http://localhost:3000/

Development

Discussion about the client takes place on the freenode channel #subway, and on this repository's Issues page. Contributors are welcome and greatly appreciated.

Configuration

Client Port

You can set which port will be listened on the socket side with the client_port setting.

Long Polling

If for some reasons you can't establish websockets, (e.g. Heroku, browser compatibility) specify the use_polling config for your app and it will use xhr-polling instead.

Heroku

Set the following environment vars to your app:

  • USE_POLLING=1
  • CLIENT_PORT=80

History

Subway is a combination of two projects that started independently with a similar technology stack and similar aims:

Its goals are twofold:

  1. Become the best web-based IRC client available
  2. Provide a really easy method of persistent IRC connections, available from any web browser

The inspiration for Subway was trying to watch a fellow programmer try to explain how to set up screen/irssi to a non-technical person.

Credits

Major Subway contributors include:

The logo right now is a Gowalla icon, we are not planning on keeping this, we are only planning on using it as a placeholder

License

Excepting third-party assets (licensed as specified in their respective files or directories), this project is covered by the MIT License:

The MIT License (MIT) Copyright (c) 2011 David Petersen

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.