EChO
Last semester, a friend and I took a cryptology course. For our final project, we created an encrypted chat program similar to AIM (with the obvious advantage that it is secure, rather than wide open for anybody to read).
This semester we are using the program as the topic of an independent study course. The goal is to get it as close to finished as possible (with subgoals along the way, such as file transfers and embedded images).
The program is called EChO, for Encrypted Chat Online. I wrote the client, and he wrote the server (which we call EChOES - EChO Entry Server - creative, no?). I just finished a complete re-write of the client to accommodate the expansions we're making, and within the week the server should be ready for some testing and so we can continue our work.
Now that you have all the unnecessary background info, I'm curious if there is actually a demand for this kind of program? Do people feel insecure using AIM? Personally, I only do when I think about it, but since I don't ever chat about sensitive/valuable stuff with my buddies (valuable being credit card numbers or something), I don't every worry about it. To me, this project is mostly just an academic exercise. But I am curious if other people feel differently, perhaps that AIM *is* insecure, and that an alternative should be available. And yes, I know alternatives *are* available (Jabber, gAIM with a plugin, and a number of pay programs).
Now to find out if I have any readers...
This semester we are using the program as the topic of an independent study course. The goal is to get it as close to finished as possible (with subgoals along the way, such as file transfers and embedded images).
The program is called EChO, for Encrypted Chat Online. I wrote the client, and he wrote the server (which we call EChOES - EChO Entry Server - creative, no?). I just finished a complete re-write of the client to accommodate the expansions we're making, and within the week the server should be ready for some testing and so we can continue our work.
Now that you have all the unnecessary background info, I'm curious if there is actually a demand for this kind of program? Do people feel insecure using AIM? Personally, I only do when I think about it, but since I don't ever chat about sensitive/valuable stuff with my buddies (valuable being credit card numbers or something), I don't every worry about it. To me, this project is mostly just an academic exercise. But I am curious if other people feel differently, perhaps that AIM *is* insecure, and that an alternative should be available. And yes, I know alternatives *are* available (Jabber, gAIM with a plugin, and a number of pay programs).
Now to find out if I have any readers...