Which license is SupportDesk released under?
SupportDesk is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL). A copy of this license may be found at http://www.fsf.org/licenses/gpl.txt, or in the file "COPYING" distributed with the program source code.
Is SupportDesk free?
Yes. SupportDesk is open source software, released under the GNU GPL. In essence, this means: it is available to download free of charge from this website, including the source code. You are free to redistribute or use it as you please, with one restriction; if you use any source code from this project in a derivative work then you are required to also release that derivative work under the GNU GPL, making the source code to it available. For full details please refer to the GPL, referenced above.
What is SupportDesk used for?
"SupportDesk is an internet text chat system designed for websites that wish to provide their users with online support". In essence: it enables users of a website to enter a text conversation with the website operators. Please refer to the about page for more information.
How does SupportDesk work?
Your website users will see a Java applet embedded in your web page, called the SupportDesk client. The client will contact a piece of software that you run, called the SupportDesk server, directly via TCP/IP (using port 5557 by default). The server manages things like login names and passwords, and relays data between all the individual SupportDesk clients connected to it. Every website that SupportDesk is used on must run it's own SupportDesk server, there is no central server anywhere.
Your website operators log in using the same client, but must provide passwords. They are then able to view a list of all your website users, logged in as guests (without passwords), and select users to talk to. Website users may not select who they talk to, they can simply type and read messages.
For more details on how the client and server communicate please refer to the protocol documentation.
How can I use SupportDesk on my website?
Here is a brief outline of what is involved in installing SupportDesk on your site. For more detailed instructions please refer to the "README" file distributed with the program.
You will need:
- A computer with a permanent internet connection and a Java Runtime Environment (JRE), 1.4 or later, on which you can run your own SupportDesk server.
- A website, hosted anywhere.
- A web browser with Java support, 1.4 or later.
Obtain a copy of SupportDesk from the download page. Uncompress the archive and read the "README" file.
Put the "server" program and associated files on the machine you intend to use as a server. Edit the users.xml config file, removing the default entries and adding an entry for each of your website operators. Run the server.
Copy the HTML code from the "example.html" file in the client directory into one of the HTML pages on your website, changing the "server" parameter to the internet address of the machine you are running the SupportDesk server on. Upload the client Java applet (".jar" file) to your website, to accompany your new HTML file.
Visit the page on your website. Assuming you have Java installed on the machine you are browsing with the client should appear. Log in as one of the operators you entered in the users.xml file earlier. Your website users will log in as guests (without needing passwords) and appear in your window for you to talk to.