About SupportDesk
SupportDesk is an internet text chat system designed for websites that wish to provide their users with online support. A Java applet allows users to log in to the chat system anonymously from a website and request help from the website operators. Unlike forums and email, conversations occur in real time.
When a user logs in from the web page they are presented with a very simple interface. They enter a name they wish to use, and are then presented with a conversation window. Instructions and messages appear in this window, and they are supplied with a box in which to type new messages of their own. They are not able to select who they will talk to, all they can do is type messages and read responses that are sent to them.
The website operators, on the other hand, are able to log in using passwords. When they do so they are referred to as "opers", a kind of super-user. Opers are able to view a list of all the users currently on the system, and are able to select who they talk to. New users that do not yet have an oper talking to them are marked with a special icon. Several opers can all join the conversation with one user if they so wish, and the new opers joining can see the previous messages in the conversation (so if a user is explaining a problem, they will not need to re-explain it to each subsequent oper that comes to help them). Opers also have the power to ban users based on their IP address.
Suitable uses
This software is released under the GPL, so you are free to use it for pretty much anything you like. Print out the code and wallpaper your bathroom with it if you like ;) However, if you're thinking of using it for anything serious, here are some suggestions you might like to consider:
SupportDesk has only ever been tested with tens of users at once, never hundreds or thousands. It has not been designed with scalability in mind, and may not scale well. I would recommend it for small scale use only.
SupportDesk currently performs most communication, with the notable exception of password transmission as of version 0.2, in clear text. SupportDesk is also currently "BETA" software. The current release (v0.5) of SupportDesk is only suitable for non-sensitive and non-critical applications.
SupportDesk has been primarily designed for websites wishing to offer online "help desk" services to their users. However it is really suitable for anybody who has their own website and wishes to allow their visitors to talk to them. The only requirement is that you will need an internet connected computer (not necessarily the web server your web page itself is hosted on), with a recent version of Java installed, on which you can run your own SupportDesk server.