Osdchat is a console client software that enables users to send messages to the on-screen display of a remote machine.
Osdchat can be considered similar to the ancient UNIX utility write, except that the tty has been replaced with X. The application has been tested for compatibility only under Linux, particularly Gentoo 1.4 and Slackware 9.0/1, but should be functional on any distribution that meets its dependencies.
To install osdchat, users need to extract the package, edit the Makefile as needed, run make check (md5sum check to verify file integrity), make, and make install (need root access). Users can choose to copy the sample osdchatd.conf configuration file to /etc, change its settings, and rename it to .osdchatd and place it in their home directory. While the sample config file is equivalent to the built-in defaults, users can customize the package further by modifying the configuration settings.
Osdchat has two primary requirements: XOSD and Readline. The latest release of osdchat includes a client pipe fix, removing mistakes such as app level length transmits, blocked i/o problems, and typo in the sample config. The software has also been tested with xosd 2.2.5.
From a security perspective, osdchat is equipped with various protocols and calls to avoid dangling clients that have not completed a connection startup. The application prevents DOS attacks while listening and accepting new connections, using the passwd file info instead of environment variables to get user information. The developer took measures to fix a potential segfault issue caused by verifying the 0th argument when the daemon is exec'ed by another program. Osdchat also ensures safer creation of log and pid files, avoiding blocking issues and preventing possible buffer overflows in the configuration file.
Overall, osdchat is an excellent messaging utility that provides users with extensive customization options and security measures to ensure a smooth messaging experience. However, it is only compatible with limited distributions, and users must have root access to install the software.
Version 0.1.8: N/A