Ralph Johns

iChat Information Pages

Version 4


iChat Icon

These iChat 4 pages are coloured Gray and have the iChat 4 icon on them that was in use at the time, so you know where you are. The icon differs little from the Version 3 version.

These pages have sat here since 2008 with no update. In that time the AIM servers have been closed down (2017) and iChat has been superseded by Message and FaceTime. That effectively make this a sort of Historical Document of how it worked.


iChat 4 Pictures Menus

You are In:- iChat >> Versions >> iChat 4 >> iChat 4 Pictures Index >> iChat 4 Menu Index >> Edit Menu
3[8] 03 Edit Menu. Oct 2008

This is the iChat 4 Edit menu.

Most of this menu deals with what you are typing in the Text Entry Field at the bottom of any open Text Chat window except for Font and Colour choices that are in the Format Menu.

Hyperlink box

If you want to send a Hyperlink this is the Menu that can change a Long URL into a Word or Phrase. Highlight the word in the text Chat entry field and then use the option here to bring up a box where you Paste the actual URL Link an hit enter and iChat will make the works Link for you to send to a Buddy. iChat will subsitute the word "here" if you have not highlighted anything in the Text Chat first.

A Word of Caution on this subject. Sending Files and in this case a copressed but disorted picture File resulted in the first Infection of Macs in the Wild via the Leap or Oompa-Loompa worm. As you can see from the Link it was spread by the computer User opening the stuffed file and trying to open the distorted Picture file that then used the Bonjour side of iChat to spread to other computers. Using Bonjour this way limited the spread to the extent of a local LAN (A Max of 255 devices) Node. It's effects were somewhat limited and the infection was normally brought to the user's attention due to App not working.

I have brought this up here as it highlights to need for caution when accepting files from any untrusted or unknown source. To be clear the issue is not to do with iChat's ability to send Hyperlinks but the much wider risk of accepting or not trashing unknown files from ANY unknown source. iChat is this case is only the means to then spread the infection wider.

You also have another place to insert Smileys from.


Next - View Menu

Created with JAlbum 4.0.6


Upward Arrow saying Top

Sig Pic

Created October, 2008 Major Update/Edit October 2024.

 ©  Ralph Johns. Created October 2008

Information Block

This site is about iChat from Version 1 through to iChat 5.x.x
Mostly this is kept as an Historical Document. Some small tense changes have been made but the content is by and large untouched.

It has a mixture of basic info and problem solving help.

The sections below will change for Specifics about info on the page on view

About This Page

The Edit menu. Checks and alterations to what you are typing in Text chat. A text chat window of some sort has to be open for these to be active.

Spelling can be checked. Smilieys can be added from there. Hyperlinks can be made and added to a Text hear.

There is a Caution about accepting Hyperlinks in general with a link to a Wikipedia Page about the first Mac infection of Malware that used iChat's Bonjour abilities to spread.

Compatibility

As mentioned above this has had a major Edit/Update in September/October 2024 moving towards being fully HTML 5 compliant meaning that the Browsers listed below are likely to no longer work.

I have tested in Safari 18.1, Firefox 130.x and 131.0, Vivaldi 6.9.3447.48 and iCab 6.2.3 (All Mac Browsers) I don't have access to a PC let alone multiple browsers to test on.

The original pages worked with Win/IE 5.5 and later (should work in 5.0, but not confirmed), Firefox 2, Safari 3, Opera 9, iCab 3.02 and later, Mac/IE 5, Netscape 6 and later

Old browsers (IE version 4 or earlier, Netscape 4 or earlier) should/may only see a text-based page which, while not the prettiest option, is still entirely usable.

Upward Arrow saying TopTop of page