Path: ...!weretis.net!feeder9.news.weretis.net!panix!.POSTED.spitfire.i.gajendra.net!not-for-mail
From: cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.programmer
Subject: Re: Text based synchronous communication tool for Linux?
Date: Sun, 8 Dec 2024 18:36:35 -0000 (UTC)
Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC
Message-ID: <vj4ovj$jv8$1@reader2.panix.com>
References: <vj44hq$3q2ag$1@dont-email.me> <vj49mj$3r6as$1@dont-email.me> <vj4ha0$3t62j$1@dont-email.me> <vj4jmv$3tpsd$1@dont-email.me>
Injection-Date: Sun, 8 Dec 2024 18:36:35 -0000 (UTC)
Injection-Info: reader2.panix.com; posting-host="spitfire.i.gajendra.net:166.84.136.80";
	logging-data="20456"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@panix.com"
X-Newsreader: trn 4.0-test77 (Sep 1, 2010)
Originator: cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross)
Bytes: 2968
Lines: 48

In article <vj4jmv$3tpsd$1@dont-email.me>,
Janis Papanagnou  <janis_papanagnou+ng@hotmail.com> wrote:
>On 08.12.2024 17:25, Muttley@DastardlyHQ.org wrote:
>> On Sun, 8 Dec 2024 14:15:48 -0000 (UTC)
>> John McCue <jmccue@whitedwf.jmcunx.com> wibbled:
>>> Janis Papanagnou <janis_papanagnou+ng@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>> <snip>
>>>>
>>>> Some characteristics I'd prefer - not all supported by the 'phone'
>>>> utility - are that it's
>>>>  * text-oriented (preferably with Unicode support), fast (no GUI)
>>>>  * instantly/synchronously exchanging any typed characters
>>>>     * optionally: switching modes (instant/character-wise, line-wise)
>>>>  * more than two persons can communicate
>>>>  * works across distributed [Unix-]systems
>>>>
>>>> Is there such a tool (free of charge and open source) available for
>>>> Linux? (Or something that comes close?)
>>>>
>>> Slackware comes with a utility called "talk", it is
>>> disabled by default.  It sounds like what you are
>>> looking for.  It allows 2 people to 'text' each other.
>>>
>>> https://www.slackbook.org/html/basic-network-commands-talk.html
>> 
>> talk is an age old unix util that allows people on the same machine to chat.
>> Even MacOS has it installed.
>
>As said, I think the historic DEC/VAX tool worked (also) only
>locally; you had to log into the same VMS-system to communicate.
>
>I'm actually looking for a tool that works across distributed
>[Unix-]systems.
>
>I'll look into the tools suggested so far what they provide.

`phone` worked across DECnet, but I don't believe it was ever
extended to work across TCP/IP.

`talk` will work between machines, over TCP/IP, but the way it
works is brittle and doesn't work well over the modern Internet.
In particular, it is de-facto limited to IPv4 and doesn't
play well with firewalls: it involves sending the contents of a
`sockaddr_in` across the network, and using that to set up a
(direct) TCP connection between processes.  One could imagine
building a proxy for it, but to my knowledge no one did so.

	- Dan C.