July 31, 2010
BOPUP.ES has been launched as a separate domain
We proud to inform that www.bopup.es domain name has been launched on a separate domain name without redirecting to www.blabsoft.com/spa/. The new domain also offers new e-mail addresses for general enquiries, feedback and support questions. Hope that this will let us to be more homely with Spanish-speaking customers.
July 30, 2010
Why was XMPP not chosen by us. Part 1
We receive a lot of enquiries and questions regarding support of XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol, www.xmpp.org) in our software that is used by Jabber and other IM systems. Today Jabber is a open/source standard that provides features and functionality for instant messaging and online collaboration with a great scalability and compatibility. And seriously, why was XMPP not chosen by us as a base client/server protocol to communicate between our instant messaging software, Bopup Communication Server and it's IM clients?
Let's us explain our vision and understanding this question. There are several important aspects we need to mention, they are related to customer's requirements and needs:
1. If a end-user wants to get an IM system that will allow to connect to existing instant messaging services and networks like MSN, ICQ, Yahoo, Google Talk etc then a Jabber-based service with appropriate gateways is a good choice to provide this.
2. If a end-user has different operating systems running on his environment including non-Windows clients then a Jabber-service is the right step because there are a big amount of XMPP-clients for different platforms on the market.
So are these all the benefits and positive sides of Jabber-based services against third-party IM platforms? Sure. But what are negative and hidden aspects?
We need to say that not of all features and functionality offered in Bopup IM software you can find in Jabber services. A lot of functionality is not supported/implemented by XMPP as well. And if you even find IM server and client for Windows that come with a required function then this can be a problem to find a non-Windows client that supports that function. Since XMPP is always extended there are many "draft" implementations and still greater functions that have been implemented by only one vendor.
So what are benefits of using XMPP-based IM software in a private business/corporate environment if it provides an unique feature that is supported only by current software? Then it looks and works like a messaging software on a third-party IM protocol.
When we were deciding on supporting XMPP we knew that we will implement and add a lot of new functionality that will extend core XMPP. And those extensions will be supported only by Bopup software. So we made a decision to use our own IM protocol for communications. In the next post we will describe and explain which features and functionality in our instant messaging software differ from standard XMPP-based software. Stay connected!
Let's us explain our vision and understanding this question. There are several important aspects we need to mention, they are related to customer's requirements and needs:
1. If a end-user wants to get an IM system that will allow to connect to existing instant messaging services and networks like MSN, ICQ, Yahoo, Google Talk etc then a Jabber-based service with appropriate gateways is a good choice to provide this.
2. If a end-user has different operating systems running on his environment including non-Windows clients then a Jabber-service is the right step because there are a big amount of XMPP-clients for different platforms on the market.
So are these all the benefits and positive sides of Jabber-based services against third-party IM platforms? Sure. But what are negative and hidden aspects?
We need to say that not of all features and functionality offered in Bopup IM software you can find in Jabber services. A lot of functionality is not supported/implemented by XMPP as well. And if you even find IM server and client for Windows that come with a required function then this can be a problem to find a non-Windows client that supports that function. Since XMPP is always extended there are many "draft" implementations and still greater functions that have been implemented by only one vendor.
So what are benefits of using XMPP-based IM software in a private business/corporate environment if it provides an unique feature that is supported only by current software? Then it looks and works like a messaging software on a third-party IM protocol.
When we were deciding on supporting XMPP we knew that we will implement and add a lot of new functionality that will extend core XMPP. And those extensions will be supported only by Bopup software. So we made a decision to use our own IM protocol for communications. In the next post we will describe and explain which features and functionality in our instant messaging software differ from standard XMPP-based software. Stay connected!
July 25, 2010
Major update of Bopup Communication Server 3.3.16 is available
New version of the communication server has been released. Version 3.3.16 adds a lot of improvements and fixes amount of bugs.
Increased speed and performance of the server on MS SQL Server 2005 Express Edition.
This version adds "AUTO_CLOSE" option set to OFF for SQL database which increases a performance of the IM server because it tells the SQL Server to do not close the database if last connection has been closed. This issue appears only on MS SQL Server 2005 Express Edition that can be installed as a host database server using our guide at Step-by-Step Guide to Install Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition as a Host Database Server for Bopup Communication Server.
Fixed and improved option of rebuilding users' Contact List on the server.
If the server enables option to automatically rebuild Contact Lists for all users and there are several Organizational Units in which users are located then the service and console might bring an SQL error while rebuilding contacts. The new version of the communication server fixes this problem.
Fixed issues with stopping the service.
Sometimes the service could not be properly stopped and it stayed in memory. This caused a problem with starting the service again and the service's process must be removed from Task Manager (bcssrvc.exe module) first. We improved the code and now the service should be stopped without issues.
The Management Console added a section to view www.bopup.me blog.
The console added a new item in the left tree called "Our blog at www.bopup.me". That item opens and displays this blog and we hope that it will help our customers to stay updated and informed on our development process and news.
Update your Bopup Communication Server software by downloading new installation package from Download Center at www.blabsoft.com
Increased speed and performance of the server on MS SQL Server 2005 Express Edition.
This version adds "AUTO_CLOSE" option set to OFF for SQL database which increases a performance of the IM server because it tells the SQL Server to do not close the database if last connection has been closed. This issue appears only on MS SQL Server 2005 Express Edition that can be installed as a host database server using our guide at Step-by-Step Guide to Install Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition as a Host Database Server for Bopup Communication Server.
Fixed and improved option of rebuilding users' Contact List on the server.
If the server enables option to automatically rebuild Contact Lists for all users and there are several Organizational Units in which users are located then the service and console might bring an SQL error while rebuilding contacts. The new version of the communication server fixes this problem.
Fixed issues with stopping the service.
Sometimes the service could not be properly stopped and it stayed in memory. This caused a problem with starting the service again and the service's process must be removed from Task Manager (bcssrvc.exe module) first. We improved the code and now the service should be stopped without issues.
The Management Console added a section to view www.bopup.me blog.
The console added a new item in the left tree called "Our blog at www.bopup.me". That item opens and displays this blog and we hope that it will help our customers to stay updated and informed on our development process and news.
Update your Bopup Communication Server software by downloading new installation package from Download Center at www.blabsoft.com
July 21, 2010
Bopup Messenger improves receiving and displaying group messages
We have recently released a new version of Bopup Messenger 5.4.14. This version improves an interface functionality to display group messages in the sending dialog box. Previous versions of the messenger showed only group messages sent by current user with no messages from others in the conversations dialog. This caused a problem with a group chat when group messages from other users were not displayed properly in the conversation. Now group chat works like a personal chat, enjoy new version!
Quick download link: IM Products Downloads and Updates
Quick download link: IM Products Downloads and Updates
July 20, 2010
AUTO_CLOSE option for the SQL database should be turned off
New issue with MS SQL Server 2005 Express Edition has been discovered by us. We noticed that the SQL Server service logs a lot of "Starting up database bcs30" messages with event ID #17137 to Event Log. This occurs only on SQL Server 2005 Express Edition and may cause problems with Bopup Communication Server performance and stability. This issue doesn't appear if the communication server was installed with built-in MSDE 2000 (Microsoft SQL Desktop Engine).
We found that in order to avoid closing and starting up the database we must use AUTO_CLOSE option set to OFF. This bug fix will be included to the next release of Bopup Communication Server.
More information on this issue: SQL Server Best Practices: AutoClose Should be Off
We found that in order to avoid closing and starting up the database we must use AUTO_CLOSE option set to OFF. This bug fix will be included to the next release of Bopup Communication Server.
More information on this issue: SQL Server Best Practices: AutoClose Should be Off
July 16, 2010
New version of the IM server fixes issue with a brand logo image
We glad to announce that new version 3.3.15 of Bopup Communication Server has been released. This version fixes bug with displaying uploaded image logo in latest versions of the IM clients.
The new version also includes an updated content help file that now contains topic on installing MS SQL Server 2005 Express Edition as a host database server and information on migration of communication server database to another MS SQL Server software. These topics are also available online on our website on Chat & IM Software page.
The new version also includes an updated content help file that now contains topic on installing MS SQL Server 2005 Express Edition as a host database server and information on migration of communication server database to another MS SQL Server software. These topics are also available online on our website on Chat & IM Software page.
July 15, 2010
Found a problem with a brand logo uploaded on the IM server
We have discovered error with downloading and displaying branding image logo in the IM clients, in Bopup Messenger starting from version 5.4.10 and in Bopup Observer version 4.3.10 and higher. This issue relates to incorrect detection of a client version on the communication server so the logo is not delivered to the messenger. This may cause errors and issues with establishing connection on the messenger startup.
This issue also has an effect with updating IM client versions from Bopup Communication Server. This is a server-side error and it will be fixed ASAP.
This issue also has an effect with updating IM client versions from Bopup Communication Server. This is a server-side error and it will be fixed ASAP.
July 2, 2010
Ease to start a chat with your co-workers
The latest version 5.4.13 of Bopup Messenger comes with a new function that overrides how to reply to incoming group message. Now you can set up an option to reply directly to messaging group, not to send a personal message to the sender. This option offers to start a chat session with all users in the group instead of sending personal answer to the sender of group message. You can find the newly added option on the Messaging tab in the Options dialog box.
Version 5.4.13 also contains many other improvements. It marks incoming group messages that have been sent by us as read messages. This hides system tray notifications, sound alerts, etc.
Among the updates mentioned above the latest versions of Bopup Messenger and Bopup Observer fixes receiving new versions and brand image logo from Bopup Communication Server. Sometimes downloading an update of new version in the messenger might hang up and never compete.
Download new versions of the IM clients at Download Center.
Version 5.4.13 also contains many other improvements. It marks incoming group messages that have been sent by us as read messages. This hides system tray notifications, sound alerts, etc.
Among the updates mentioned above the latest versions of Bopup Messenger and Bopup Observer fixes receiving new versions and brand image logo from Bopup Communication Server. Sometimes downloading an update of new version in the messenger might hang up and never compete.
Download new versions of the IM clients at Download Center.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)