• Platform-independence.  QtChat2 will be written in ISO-compliant C++ and should be compilable with any ISO C++-compliant compiler.  System dependencies (e.g. network, filesystem, etc.) will be hidden by abstract interface classes which are implemented for each platform.
  
  
• Front-end neutral.  QtChat2 consists of a set of libraries which provides all the necessary tools to log into and use a chat session.  Front ends must be written separately (of course some default frontends will be provided).  Of course, one would (rightfully) ask why a chat system which claims to be front-end neutral is still called "QtChat", since Qt is an X Windows toolkit.  The answer is, "I don't know" :-).
  
  
• Customizable filters.  The packet flow path will have certain points at which a set of filters may be inserted to modify incoming or outgoing packets.  These filters will probably appear as a binary tree of filter objects connected by operators.  Filters will allow posts to be dynamically accepted/rejected based on various criteria, modified in-stream (e.g. objectionable words removed, colors added, people on friends list who keep changing their screennames set to a single fixed name, etc.).
  
  
• Protocol modules.  Various chat protocols will be implemented in plug-in modules, allowing QtChat2 to chat on any chat system for which a protocol module exists.

Anthony Jenkins (Scoobi_doo@yahoo.com) - Project leader