Note: This project is not being developed anymore. I'll keep free support by mail, but don't expect new releases. Thanks you.

J-Lan Communicator

A little application for LAN messaging using a lightweight protocol and UDP packets.

J-Lan Communicator has been developed using Java(tm) programming language, so it should run in any Java Virtual Machine compatible with Sun's specs.

Overview

J-Lan Communicator (jlanc in short) is a small application that facilitates communication between different hosts on the same local area network. It does not require a central server and uses very little bandwidth by taking advantage of a lightweight protocol and UDP packets.

jlanc relies in broadcasting features of UDP packets in order to provide a 'connection oriented'-like environment without the need of a central server.

jlanc is interesting for small organizations that share the same LAN environment. It doesn't need internet connection and you'll get most of the features of a conventional instant messaging application without the need of setup a dedicated server.

jlanc is ideal for (but not limited to) the following scenarios:

• There's no central host running 7x24.
• The network is highly variable and dinamic (such as wireless nodes).
• There're no fixed addresses or DNS in the LAN.
• The bandwidth usage is a big concern.

Moreover J-Lan Communicator is Free Software, so you can customize it to better fit your needs.

This software is OSI Certified Open Source Software.
OSI Certified is a certification mark of the Open Source Initiative.

jlanc it's rated Top 25% at Jars.

Features

List of features for jlanc 1.4:

• Configurable bind and broadcast address.
• Listens on port 4110 to let any user bind to this port.
• Chat window similar to most used IRC clients.
• Private chat (peer to peer).
• Private chat with shared key encryption (using blowfish).
• Rich text output.
• Emoticons.
• Configurable output.
• Nick aliases.
• Scripting (experimental).

You can check the Changelog for the whole list of changes.

List of probably features for next version (right now in planning stage):

• File Transfer.
• ...

The versions are backwards compatible for series 1.x, even newer features won't work with older clients.

Some screenshots for version 1.2 (click on the thumbs to enlarge):

Support

jlanc is Free Software and free support is limited.

If you want a custom version of the application or direct email support, mail me and we can deal in the conditions.

Here you only will get support for the versions bundled here. For others, just ask your third party provider for help.

The basic support for jlanc includes:

• Bug report form: that's the only official way to report bugs in the program (this form is also accesible within the application). Bug reports sent by mail will be redirected to /dev/null. Sorry, coding is fun but replying emails is not.
• FAQ: those are the Frequent Asked Questions, all answered ;-) You can access that FAQ within the application.

You can subscribe to new releases in jlanc project's page at freshmeat.net.

Contribute

jlanc is Free Sofware and you're welcome to contribute to its development.

There are several ways to contribute:

1. Submit bug reports:

   You must fill in jlanc's bug report form. There's also a spanish version.

2. Submit patches with bug fixes or improvements:

   You can send them to <jjm *at* usebox.net>. I'll review your stuff as soon as possible.

3. Translate jlanc to your local language:

   Right now jlanc comes with following translations:

   english (default), spanish: Juan J. Martínez <jjm *at* usebox.net>

   You should get current intl file with default translation, translate it, and send me it back with your locale especified.

Download

You can download both binary and source of current release of J-Lan Communicator.

Currently jlanc has support for following locales: en (default) and es.

Binary release

version 1.4 reissued (R1 = build 20040512), a minor update in the interpreter.

jlanc 1.4 build 20040512

Required: Sun's J2RE 1.4 or compatible.

Running the program:

J2RE_JAVA_PATH=path to your j2re's 'java' binary

$(J2RE_JAVA_PATH) -jar jlanc.jar

In some desktop environment a simple double-click over the jar file will do the work.

Source release

jlanc 1.4 build 20040512

Required: Sun's J2SDK 1.4 or compatible.

If you have problems downloading tar.gz files, add following mime type to your browser: application/x-tar.

Resources

Here you have some resources related to jlanc.

• Java at Sun: here you can download newest Java 2 Runtime Environment to run jlanc.
• jlanc protocol description: little description of the J-Lan Communicator protocol. This description is provided "as is" in order to allow the development of third party clients. UPDATED TO VERSION 1.2.
• Firewalls and jlanc: that's a little document about firewall problems with jlanc and antispoof.
• pl-jlanc: a very basic jlanc client coded in perl.
• Introduction to jlanc scripting: A little introduction to jlanc scripting capabilities.
• Away script example: Example of a little 'away script' (spanish).

Here you have some Forth scripts (feel free to send me yours).

• Away script: Little script to send a message to anyone who calls you when you're away.

Legal Mambo-Jimbo

J-Lan Communicator Copyright © 2003,2004 Juan J. Martínez <jjm *at* usebox.net>

Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. J-Lan Communicator is independent of Sun Microsystems, Inc.

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