These pages will deal with some of the things you might want ask about iChat, or didn't know you needed to ask.
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This ended being a page that never actually made it. It was easier to add info to the pages I had already.
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Ralph
iChat 3 (Tiger)
What iChat can do
As you probably know Apple's latest OS, Tiger (10.4), came out at the end of April. This page will run through briefly what you will find different from iChat 2.x.
I am going to write this with links to the other pages for iChat 2.x as not a fantastic amount has changed in the way of set up. As there is not a lot changed I don't fancy writing the whole 16 pages again. Ok, so here we go.
Page 1 Before you start
Links to said page, as will all the following Headings.
THis remains the same. The only difference is the specs for the different connections you can now have.
See Table a la Apple
| Requirements | 1-to-1 Audio Conference | 10-Person Audio Conference | 1-to-1 Video Conference | 4-Person Video Conference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| To Initiate (Host) | System Required | Any G3, G4 or G5 processor | 1GHz G4, dual 800 MHz G4 or any G5 | 600MHz G3, any G4 or any G5 | Dual 1GHz G4, any G5 |
| Bandwidth Required | 56Kbps Internet connection (up/down) | 128Kbps Internet connection (up/down) | 100Kbps Internet connection (up/down) | 384Kbps Internet connection (up/down) | |
| To Participate | System Required | Any G3, G4 or G5 processor | Any G3, G4 or G5 processor | 600MHz G3, any G4 or any G5 | 1GHz G4, dual 800 MHz G4 or any G5 |
| Bandwidth Required | 56Kbps Internet connection (up/down) | 56Kbps Internet connection (up/down) | 100Kbps Internet connection (up/down) | 100Kbps Internet connection (up/down) | |
PLEASE NOTE THE DIFFERENT SPEEDS FOR DIFFERENT CONNECTIONS
So Basically a Mac with a good Processor and a good Uplink speed to the internet. I quote Uplink speed as ADSL users will normally have a slower uplink speed than their download one.
- Note that if you have not yet upgraded to Tiger then you will also need a Mac with a DVD player to do the install.
Page 2: Setting up iChat
This page is a mixture of being the same a but different.
I will explain. The First Run screens are very similar except that you now have a Jabber option screen to decide to use or not.
The Preferences are slightly different from the picture shown on page 2. It Now does not have a Privacy icon and section. Instead the Account section now has tabs and "Security" now replaces Privacy. This only applies to the mani iChat account and not the Jabber or Bonjour parts.
- Note that Bonjour replaces the name Rendezvous.
In the Accounts section the access to the Server Options is more up front and accessible and has some preset Proxies installed, under the tab Server Settings.
The Buddy List window that is shown on page 2 can now be tabbed from the View menu in iChat. It is better if you select to show only Online Buddies to use theis effectively. It makes for easier organising of your Groups or at least the Buddies in them.
Running it this for the first time in Tiger highlights one one the problems in iChat 2.x that Buddies got added to multiple groups and got counted twice towards the limit of 200 Buddies.
Adding Buddies is exactly the same. It has the same links with your Address Book.
I have not found or been told of any more chatter list sites.
Page 3: Setting up Your Router
Ok this is where ther are some minor Changes.
The Settings in the Mac Firewall now include UDP protocol settngs as well as the ones that are for TCP only in Panther.
The instructions on how to access the settings are the same. Also listed on Page 4 with a picture (remember this is for Panther)
The ports and the protocols are the same. The Jabber side of iChat needs two ports 5223 and 5224 to be open. I have yet to find which protocols these use.AT the moment I would set them to Both protocols.
There is a new option in the Firewall tab and that is an Advcaned Button. This has three options. The first being "Block all UDP Traffic", which for iChat to work needs to be deselected.
Where this pages goes on to talk about the Router side of things rather than the bit about the Mac Firewall it remains unchanged.
This site http://portforward.com/routers.htm however dose list many devices and shows insrtuctions on how to Port Forward and how to Port Trigger in some cases with Pictures to help. It also lists the default User name and Passwords for making access to these devices through a web browser.
Page 4: Eliminating Problems
This page is again going to be useful to the iChat 3 user with the same exception of the new Tiger Firewall as mentions above and the additional ports needed for Jabber.
In the sub section "Connection Problems" there are more significant changes.
The Minimum specs have changed not only in the speed of the connection, which itself varies depending on how many people you want to chat with at once - but the minimum specs for the computer you have has also changed - again with reference to the type of connection you are trying to achieve. (Apple Doc 301050) . This set you on a path of Good , Better and Best connection based on this combination of factors.
Partial publication of Tiger iChat 3 info, compared to previous pages for iChat 2.x
More to Follow.
iChat 3 Discussion Pages or Mock Blog or Top of Page
