msm

An experimental chat using SSH

msm aims to provide a simple way to chat with other users connected to the same SSH machine.

How to Run

./msm.sh

or if installed

msm

Then, type to chat.

Installation

Run the install.sh script. Using shc, the script will compile the msm binary and place it in bin/. Sudo privileges are required to further copy it to /usr/local/bin/, where msm can be called from anywhere.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites are only required for installation! If running as a bash script, nothing else is needed!

• shc

Usage

To view the usage menu

msm -h

Flags

msm has numerous optional flags.

• -r <room>: Specify a room to enter. Creates room in MSM directory if it doesn't exist. Default is 'chat'.

  Ex: msm -r newroom

• -d <dir>: Changes the msm directory to <dir>. Can also be edited in the config file.

  Ex: msm -d /mnt/batman/rooms/

• -l <lines>: Changes the number of lines to display to <lines>. The default is 50 lines. Can also be edited in the config file.

  Ex: msm -l 10

• -h: Prints the help menu

• -v Prints the current version

• -c Resets the config file to defaults.

Chat Directory

By default, the chat directory is $HOME/chats/. Any rooms will be created and edited here, so the location must be accessible for read and write by anyone who wishes to chat. It is highly recommended to not use a user home directory, as all users chatting require read and write permissions for files inside the directory.

Rooms

Rooms are empty files created in the msm directory. The default room is chat. Messages are sent and recieved through editing and reading the text content of these files. Users' arrival/departure is automatically announced in the room.

Config File

msm's config file can be found at $HOME/.config/msm/msm.config. If anything in the config breaks or flags like -d and -l do not work, it is recommended to reset the file to its default values with msm -c.