Hi everyone.
Doing my final year project in linux- a Mozilla Firefox extension which providing chat option for two or more peoples, who happen to be browsing the same website simultaneously. It shows you other people who visit the same websites as you are. These people have to be registered with our software.

I don't know how to go about this. After a lot of googling and enquiring i have divided the project into three modules: an extension at browser side, chat implementation (probably in ajax) and a server- apache-php-mysql.



The extension keeps track of the URLs visited by the browser.
It sends this information to the server.
When it receives information from the server, the extension displays the number of users visiting the URL as the user.
The extension informs the server whenever the user clicks the EnableChat(which will be embedded in a toolbar in the browser) button to start a chat session.
After receiving the information, the extension displays the users in that site.
The user clicks on a particular username for chat.

I have learnt extension development from various tutorials. but i do not know about the server. How should I go about it. I have installed php mysql and apache. but i do not know exactly what the server must do. I know i have to write the server code in php and put it in the /var/www folder. but what should that code do? how exactly does the extension or browser communicate with the server for the exchange of above info?

pls help me...

well we will not do homework

but the best way to install a "lamp" server is from the ground up
From the source

or at least the first 12 or so installs .
That is until you KNOW what you ARE doing and can do it in your sleep

Apache
http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/
http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/install.html
Ant
http://ant.apache.org/
php
http://www.php.net/docs.php
MySql
http://dev.mysql.com/doc/
http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/
phpmyAdmin
http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/index.php
http://www.phpmyadmin.net/home_page/docs.php

Personally If all your server is doing in sharing links and allowing users to talk it seems a bit excessive to Apache and Php. However having that said you may need it to do other things as well. You need to ask yourself the following question in order to find what the server does.

On sending page links:

If the browser is going to send web pages to the server. How are you going to ensure that its done securely. The user may not be exactly thrilled about sending what pages their visiting to you. So how can you make it transparent to the user what data is being sent? Will you collect all the urls are the urls going to be managed in some way?

On Chat

If your allowing users to chat to one another, how will you make sure that the conversation wont be hijacked. What about abusive behavior and censorship? Will it be a global chat like irc or more localised like msn or skype and how will you manage it.

These are just some of the questions that spring to mind. But once you can answer them. you could draw a diagram like UML between the client and server which will help to give you a clear understanding of what the interactions and responsibilities are

1 members found this post helpful.

hey thank you...onto the installations..

actually i was planning something like-extracting the URL of the webpage...maybe use window.location.href javascript property or maybe from the mozilla cache on the URLs visted by the browser. then send this information to the server. The server will have a database holding all current users and the URLs being visited by them. When a user requests for chat, the server queries the database and extracts all the users currently visiting the web page and sends this list to the browser/extension. the user can then click on any username for chat.

Implementing chat is ok. I know some ajax and I believe I can do it. What I really have no idea about is, how this transfer of the above said information between the browser and the server can take place....I mean the communication...I really need help on this part...