Virtual Light Studios — which specializes in Web site design, video production, and 3D animation — has released In-A-Flash, a message board and avatar-based chat application that works inside Macromedia Flash.
In-A-Flash Chat 1.0 offers Web visitors real-time chat, using just the Macromedia Flash 5 plug-in in a regular Web page, company spokesperson Jennifer Petkus told MacCentral. The software consists of a Flash movie embedded in an HTML page that opens an XML socket to a Perl server running on a host Linux/Apache Web server.
Okay, now it gets sort of technical. The Flash movie asks a Perl script, running as a cgi on a web server, to read the contents of message files on a web server. Customers get the original .FLA and the CGI, which they can modify to their heart’s content, Petkus said.
“Both products work great for Mac and PC, although the software was proudly designed on a Mac,” she added. “The avatars are created as Flash graphics and all will have animations. The software features user login and registration, private chat, user info, ignore user, moveable/resizeable avatars, hide Balloon text and obscenity filter, as well as an obnoxious disco theme.”
In-A-Flash costs US$250, which is a one-domain perpetual site license. Buyers can also get the companion In-A-Flash BBS, which uses Flash and Perl, for $100 ($50 off its regular price). Installation help is included in the price.
You can view the software at anytime online and the developers will be available for chatting every Tuesday at 7 p.m. For general info go to the In-A-Flash Web site.
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