Due to my current lack of funding my server account has been deactivated until I can get up the money for the next term. I have found another host that I am testing for free. While I could continue to use the service for free indefinitely, I just may go to a full paying account with them as i get just about the same options for about half the price. Then I can simply transfer my domain name.

In the meantime I will use the new host for developing the Mercury System and will most likely move the forums over there but anyone that joined may have to join again. I did not get the chance to back up the database for the forums before I was "locked" out but it would still take only a second or two to register again and when/if I reopen that account, i can simply tranfer the updated info to the original database so no one will have to register for a third time.

This is a small setback but I will try to minimize its overall impact as much as I can and hopefully tomorrow I will be back with programming updates.

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No more programming done today but I did manage to put up a message board/community system up on the EnteractionDesign server. This community is for the support of users of the Mercury System as well as will help in the testing of the system and certain parts of the development.

Last entry I had mention a poll. Here it is. The thread has the Possible Features listed there again in case you need to brush up on them. At the top of the thread is the poll with the different features listed. Please vote to help me decide what the system should have in the original version and what can wait.

I do not want to throw everything into the first version or it will take FOREVER to release. PLEASE take a few seconds to check out the forum and vote. You will need to register, but it won't take long and you may need your account for a long time to come. The testing forums are viewable by everyone but you have to be added to the Testers group by myself to post in those sections. If you would like to be considered for a position as a tester, please send a private message to me at the "admin" account and tell me that you'd like to be considered as a tester.

It will be some time before testing can actually get underway due to the fact that it has to be completely programmed and put up onto the NuTang server beforehand. But I would like to get a list of testers ready beforehand. Thank you.

And thanks go to this person for the new Enteraction Design avatar that is in use for this account.

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Today was an extremely busy day and no programming got underway, but I want to take this time to go through the already incorporated features, features to be added and a list of features that may or may not be added. I am going to include a poll for the possible features to decide if they are worth adding. Please read through the features lists to have a better idea of what features are in the poll.

Please note that features with an asterisk (*) will most likely give the system operator the choice to offer it or disable it. In an attempt to make this as full-featured a system as it can be, I want to offer every feature possible. But some will require more disk space or may not be of interest to the operator and want to disable them.

Current Features

1) Total Recall - IM sessions are saved until you logoff or delete a particular chat with a friend so even if you close the IM window (not friend list but the actual IM window with that friend), you can view the entire conversation.

2) Single Window - Instead of needing a seperate IM window open for every friend with whom you have a session going, you simply click on each friend's name to bring up your window with your chat session with them. This can save your taskbar from getting cluttered.

3) Specific Color Links - Because PERL will not force a window to open on your system when a new person sends you a message or flash a window in your taskbar when someone sends you a new message, the Mercury System uses color links to inform you if you a) have a chat session with them currently or not b) another color if you sent the last message in the conversation c) if they have sent the most recent message in the chat. This will tell you when to check for new messages from each friend.

4) File Transfer* - This was an important feature that I wanted to add. The system essentially allows you to upload (a) file(s) to the server which will then allow you to send the links to the file by way of an IM. You can send a single file to many people through this method without having to wait to transfer the file to each member individually.

5) Emoticons - What what an IM system be without emoticons/smilies to help you express certain feelings? You would click a button to open a subwindow with the emoticons and you simply click on the one that you want to include in your message. Each emoticon also has a text way of sending the emoticons as a shortcut you can memorize for your most-often-used emoticon(s).

6) Font Control - You can control your font face/family (the actual font that is used), font size and font color in which you and your friends will see your messages posted. A subwindow will allow you to select from available options and preview the result and you can then set your favorite combination to be used on the system.

7) Profiles - For any sites that do not have their own profile system, the Mercury System will provide it. You can edit your profile from a subwindow and others can view your profile by clicking your avatar in your IM window (further explained in #8).

8) Avatar* - This will essentially be the equivalent of a "buddy icon" on AIM. They will appear in the bottom (either) left or right-hand corner and will be a link to that user's profile which will open in another window. This will provide an easy way to view your friends' profiles as well as help personalize the window for each user. You can select an avatar from a list of available ones or upload your own if the system operator allows it. The system operator can select to use their own profile system or the system provided within the Mercury System and the profile links associated with each user's avatar will be made accordingly.

Those are most of the major features that are currently implemented in the Mercury System although some are still under testing by myself.

Next is a list of features that I would like to add but that I don't quite see as necessary or atleast may wait until a second version of the software before. They would be nice to have but may not be added immediately. Later today I will make a poll available for you to vote for which features you would like to see be made available. You will be able to vote for as many options as you want. But this will help give me an idea of what to take the time to code into the system before releasing it. Some would be nice to have but may not be used often enough to take the time right now. I will edit this entry with the way to vote in the poll and probably mention it in the next update or two.

>Eventual Features

These are features that will most likely definitely be added to the system but may require some time due to their complexity.

1) Multiple Statuses - Currently the system recognizes you as online or offline but eventually it will be made so that you can open a subwindow and open create a custom 'away' message.

2) Block List - This feature, just like in other IM systems will allow you to block messages from specific users for whatever reason(s) you want. I could even make it so that you will receive messages from a user ONLY if they are already on your friends list and therefore removing them from your list would block them. But currently any message sent by a user not in your friends list will be sent into a "Not In List" section.

>Possible Features

1) Saving IM's* - This would have a button included in each IM window that would allow you to save IM sessions that you are having. There are two ways that I would like to have this work and it could work in one way and/or the other. The file could be saved on the server for you to view it within the program and/or it could be downloaded as a textfile anywhere on your own computer for you to view whenever you want. Saving it on your own computer would be available to everyone, but saving it on the server would be up to the system operator, again, because of the disk space that could be used by it.

2) Printable IM's - A "Print IM" button would be available on each IM window and clicking it would open a new window with the entire chat session so that you could print them out nicely if you so chose to. The page may include a header such as when the print window was opened and therefore when the printout was requested complete with time and date which would then print out at the top of the page to help remind you of when it was and with whom you were chatting.

3) More Fonts - Currently the system will offer some generic fonts that are on MOST users computers. But I may allow an entire directory for fonts where I will add a bunch and system operators could add any that they wanted as well. Each font in the directory would be available for your chosing when selecting your IM font. The system would allow you to download each font to your FONTS folder on your computer so that you would actually be able to view the fonts. Due to having to take a few seconds to download and 'enable' the font on your system, this feature may not be required by everyone. But this will allow for the most customization of your font.

4) Chat Room(s) - This would be like the chat rooms that you can open in other IM systems by sending invites to people in your friends list to join a particular chat room. This will most likely be added in the future, but adding it to this section and to the poll will help decide when I should take the time to program it.

5) User-Definable Groups - Currently all members of the IM system will either be "online", "offline" or "not in list" but eventually I would like to offer you the ability to create different groups under which you can add new friends. I definitely want to add this but it might not be too necessary and could wait for another version update to the system to be added. Many people use their lists to separate contact from various sites but since the Mercury System runs from within a site, everyone on your list would be from the same site. But perhaps you can have a "friends", a "family" and a "significant other" groups or the like. But the poll will hopefully tell me when to include it in the system.

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While these aren't all of the current/possible features, these are good lists to start. I will include a link to the poll below here as soon as I have one set up.

All feedback is appreciated!

Back to the programming grind when I wake up.

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What a busy day.

Please let me first mention that the Mercury System was originally created for another program of mine so it was hardcoded for my purposes. I knew that I would eventually want to make it available for use by other people but this requires programming for so many possibilities.

Tonight was a night of prepping it for other 'webmasters' to use and not advancing the core of the system.

On my original system, a user had to be logged in to get the link to open their buddy list...but I wanted to change it so that users had to login which required an hour or two's worth of work.

I also fixed an error I was encountering. I am making the "not in list" feature for members that message you that aren't on your friend's list. The system was not recognizing whether the sender of each message were on your friends list currently or not. Now fixed.

One item that I hope to get done next time is the whole function that allows you to add users to your friends list. Originally on my other system your friends were taken from a friends list on that site, but I have to make it work independently for this system. Of course this will have to be added to several areas of the program, but it's not too difficult.

A very large problem I am encountering which may require a slight bit of help is that messages are being double-posted by the system. Especially when emoticons are included in messages. I will seek some help while I work on the other stuff so that hopefully it will all be done roughly at the same time.

And another important feature will be an entire help section that will be included for everyone.

One night, when I haven't gotten much else done on the system, i will update with the list of the major features of the system as well as what else may be added.

Stay attentive.

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