JSMS - desktop app to use your free text message allocation (multi-operator)

The Kid

BopNiblets wrote: »

Ok, I switched from Ubuntu to Linux Mint and I never got that Desktop Launcher thing working

Here's what I have and no matter what I put in it won't launch JSMS from the shortcut/launcher!

If you're using last nights build 4.0.3, then the issue may be because of an issue in JSMS.

I hadn't realised it but it looks like we may have used some Java 6 specific constructs when he redesigned some of the dialogs, and as a result JSMS will no longer run in a Java 5 JVM.

Windows & Linux users, use should be able to get around this by simply installing the latest version of Java from http://www.java.com. But Apple users, there is no official rtelease of Java 6 for your platform, so you may have to go back to using 4.0.2 until I can get a fix for this issue.

BopNiblets

Well can you guide me what I exaclty I should put in the launcher anyway (and if need be, the script file) so I can see if I get to that issue?

I installed with the linux installer and it works via the terminal, I'd just like a nice little icon on my desktop or taskbar instead of going through the terminal.

The Kid

BopNiblets wrote: »

Ok, I switched from Ubuntu to Linux Mint and I never got that Desktop Launcher thing working

Here's what I have and no matter what I put in it won't launch JSMS from the shortcut/launcher!

Try running the shell script JSMS.sh. You should probably try it from a terminal first. Also, if you're using the latest release of JSMS (4.0.3), make sure that you are using a Java 1.6.x Virtual Machine.

I can give you more info on how to determine if you have the corrct version of Java if you still run into problems.

The Kid

BopNiblets wrote: »

Well can you guide me what I exaclty I should put in the launcher anyway

No worries!

I installed with the linux installer and it works via the terminal, I'd just like a nice little icon on my desktop or taskbar instead of going through the terminal.

OK - help me out then. First, download and install version 4.0.4 from http://jsmsirl.sf.net. This release should fix the issue with the Java version that I mentioned earlier. Then can you do the following for me?

• Tell me what are you typing at the command line to launch JSMS.
• Tell me the window manager you're using. From your screenshot it looks like gnome to me...
• Launch JSMS from the command line, and open the "Help->About..." dialog. Then select the "System Info" button. Could you send me a screenshot or a copy of the info shown? You can post it here or mail it to me at jsmsirl@gmail.com. Either or.

The Kid

Hey folks,

We're back with a new release for you. Some of you (the ones using a Java 6 JVM) will have started using JSMS 4.0.3 yesterday and had no issues using it at all. However, more of you (the ones using Java 5) would have found that JSMS no longer works for you. Well release 4.0.4 should now work with both versions of Java. I had to remove the functionality to add contact groups to make it work, but I also got a chance to fix a couple of bugs that I found today. It's swings and roundabouts!

The release notes for JSMS 4.0.4 are:

• Disabled addition of new contact groups as the code required the use of a Java 6 Virtual Machine.
• Fixed problem where texts sometimes wouldn't send.
• Added system information to the About Box.

Enjoy!

PeterDuggan

The new version is excellent. The message history is a great idea and very useful. Is it possible to save it regularly and also can you keep the log running instead of resetting it on each restart?

The Kid

PeterDuggan wrote: »

The new version is excellent. The message history is a great idea and very useful. Is it possible to save it regularly and also can you keep the log running instead of resetting it on each restart?

Thanks Peter - Finbarr did some great work all the way down in Aukland (New Zealand) in this release...

In regard to your suggestion on the message history, this is just a first release of that feature. User privacy is #1 amongst our concerns so we don't write sent messages to disk. Instead, they are held in memory and subsequently get destroyed when JSMS exits. We are currently looking at adding support for a lightweight database which we hope to use to store things like sent messages. And we should be able to encrypt any messages saved to the database to make them hard to get at from nosy eyes!

BopNiblets

I think I got the shortcut thing working, instead of a launcher thing I put the .sh script on my desktop and changed it to run from the /JSMS directory.
Cool-o.

fbradyirl

One of the new features that was quietly sneaked into the latest release of JSMS is the ability to import from your GMail contact list. We use the official Google Data API to do this. It works very well because of this well defined API. This is very handy also if you travel a lot or use many PC's. Imagine you can have one central phone book (in GMail). Always use it to add / edit and delete new phone contacts, then when you sit down to use JSMS on any PC you can import your contacts knowing they are always up to date.

If you want to upload all your contacts from your phone to GMail, if you have a modern phone, you probably can.

With my Sony Ericsson W710i I can easily do this by

1. Go into my Sony Ericsson phonebook.
2. Go to Advanced settings
3. Click 'Backup phonebook to MS'.
4. Then use bluetooth (or use a data cable) to transfer the file PB_Backup.vcf from the System folder of your memory stick to your PC/Mac. 5. Then in you web browser, open Gmail contacts.
6. Click 'Import' at the bottom.
7. Select this PB_Backup.vcf file and Gmail should upload all your phone numbers (although sometimes Gmail upload doesn't work).
8. Open JSMS
9. Click 'Tools' -> 'Phone book...'
10. Click the 'Import' button.
11. Follow the steps for importing from GMail. Only Irish mobile numbers will be imported (and international numbers for O2 users).



Sorry I dont know about other phone models but take a look at your phone user guide to find out how you might do this for your particular make & model.

The Kid

Hey folks!

JSMS 4.0.5 is now available. Here are the change notes:

- Fixed bug where sending a text to a manually entered number caused JSMS to lock up.

- Restored sending of messages to groups.

- Added ability to start JSMS specifying the login details on the command line. To invoke, use the following format:
java -jar JSMS.jar <Meteor|Vodafone|O2> <login> <password>

BopNiblets

Hi there, getting this on Linux Mint, then tried a fresh install of the latest version, but I still get it (and Vodafone website is working for me):


Haven't made any changes to my system that I think would effect it.

Also, there was a nice orange "J" png logo that I was using as an icon, where did that go, I think I got it from your site somewhere but can't remember?

brien.john

Thank you for contacting us regarding JSMS.

Unfortunately both Keith and Finbarr are on vacation at the moment. We
will both be returning on the week beginning Monday August 25. We will
answer your correspondence as soon as we return.

Apologies for the inconvenience - but sometimes even us no-lifers (who
have nothing better to do than write and support free software) need a
break!

:-)

....

The Kid

BopNiblets wrote: »

Hi there, getting this on Linux Mint, then tried a fresh install of the latest version, but I still get it (and Vodafone website is working for me)

Cheers for reporting that! Vodafone changed the URLs on their website while I was on holidays... I've just uploaded a fix for the problem.

If you log into JSMS and wait a few minutes, it should automatically download the update. If not, go to the "Help" menu and select "Check for Updates..."

When the update is fully downloaded, exit JSMS and start it again. When JSMS starts up, tell it to install the update.

You should be good to go then...

Also, there was a nice orange "J" png logo that I was using as an icon, where did that go, I think I got it from your site somewhere but can't remember?

See attached...

BopNiblets

Capital!

The Kid

Hello again folks!

I just noticed that the automatic update in JSMS is broken. We host the project on sourceforge.net and they are currently giving their website a much needed overhaul. Unfortunately they broke our update mechanism in the process, so you will need to downlod and install the latest version of JSMS manually from https://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=196351.

Also, the feature to download contacts from the Meteor website was also broken.

I've fixed both these problems in version 4.0.7.

We highly recommend that you update to version 4.0.7 to get all the latest fixes - particularly the automatic update fix.

King regards.

fbradyirl

Finally! I've gotten around to updating the JSMS web site bringing it up to date with the current release. Pass on the URL....

jsmsirl.sf.net

Mr. Flibble

I don't know if you are looking for suggestions but if you are there sitting at the code just itching to add a new feature...

It would be great if ctrl-enter sent the text, so you don't have to use the mouse.

Would be also good if upon clicking send it allowed you to immediately start working on your next text message instead of locking the interface.

fbradyirl

Mr. Flibble wrote: »

I don't know if you are looking for suggestions but if you are there sitting at the code just itching to add a new feature...

It would be great if ctrl-enter sent the text, so you don't have to use the mouse.

This can be done already (without using ctrl - only the Enter key). Just go into Preferences and check 'Enter key sends message'

Would be also good if upon clicking send it allowed you to immediately start working on your next text message instead of locking the interface.

That would be nice but it the sms fails to send for any reason we want to have the unsent text still in the interface so the user can try again.

An update to JSMS will be available in the coming days. This will enhance the look and feel for Mac users and also will fix some bugs including some around group sending for all platforms. There will also be some small new features. To get an automatic update, ensure that you are already running version 4.0.7 (Help -> About) as the update mechanism has been broken in earlier versions.

For more info see our FAQ at http://jsmsirl.sf.net/

Mr. Flibble

Personally I'd like to keep the new-line functionality and send functionality all at once (I'm greedy, I know). What if I wanted to send

"What's better than JSMS?



Nothing!"

without using the mouse?


For the quick sending. A marker could be placed beside the text in the history menu to show the state of the sms. queued/sending/failed/sent - and you can then click on any failed ones to bring up the message again. Or perhaps click on the failed marker icon to retry sending. Some other notification in the main window stating that a sending failed would be good too I think.

fbradyirl

Mr. Flibble wrote: »

Personally I'd like to keep the new-line functionality and send functionality all at once (I'm greedy, I know). What if I wanted to send

"What's better than JSMS?



Nothing!"

without using the mouse?

Yes that is greedy! To be honest putting new lines into text messages is not a great idea as a lot of phones (especially the older ones) don't display them correctly. I've tested this on a good few phones.

For the quick sending. A marker could be placed beside the text in the history menu to show the state of the sms. queued/sending/failed/sent - and you can then click on any failed ones to bring up the message again. Or perhaps click on the failed marker icon to retry sending. Some other notification in the main window stating that a sending failed would be good too I think.

We'd have to start charging users for features like that!

Mr. Flibble

fbradyirl wrote: »

We'd have to start charging users for features like that!

If you can then its a definite reason to put it in!
But I really think it would be a great feature. Some texts get written in 2 seconds but take 10 seconds to send - time spend idling as you can't work on the next 2 second text. The human should always be the bottle neck in a human-computer-interaction.

fbradyirl

Mr. Flibble wrote: »

If you can then its a definite reason to put it in!
But I really think it would be a great feature. Some texts get written in 2 seconds but take 10 seconds to send - time spend idling as you can't work on the next 2 second text. The human should always be the bottle neck in a human-computer-interaction.

I agree it would be nice to have (especially on slower connections). Might require some man hours though. How's your Java?

Mr. Flibble

Well ground with sugar and milk.

I certainly won't be able to look at it in the next few days. Maybe someday it will annoy me enough to take a look.

fbradyirl

Anyone with an Intel Leopard machine fancy testing the beta of 7.0.8 for me?

The Kid

Finbarr has been busy adding new features for y'all...

Check out JSMS version 4.0.8...

• Mac users will now have the toolbar on the top of the screen giving the app a more native feel.
• Added 'Clear history...' function to the History menu.
• In the Phone Book you can now delete multiple contacts at once.
• In the Phone Book you can now remove multiple contacts from a group at once.
• When sending to a group, you will now not see the 'test' dialog that previously was shown for each recipient.
• Fixed bug where history function was not functioning correctly when sending to groups.
• Reverse history.

Mr. Flibble

What IDE do you develop this in?

fbradyirl

Eclipse with the Subclipse Subversion plugin

The Kid

Hey folks!

I'd just like to give a big up to all of you that have helped us spread the word about JSMS. JSMS continues to grow in popularity thanks to your help!

We've had over 6,000 downloads since we hosted the project on Sourceforge.net in May '07. Check it out! JSMS Stats

And over 1,300 of those downloads occurred over the last three months (July, August and September)! We are now currently averaging over 20 downloads a day. This is very impressive indeed! So thank you again for your continued support.

For our part, we are proud to be associated with a quality product like JSMS. The low number of support queries that we get on this forum and on our support mailing list (jsmsirl@gmail.com) are testament to the current stability of the application. We have lots of plans for future features and improvements so please stay tuned to this thread as you'll hear them here first!

Keep up the good work and help us improve your friends quality of life by introducing them to JSMS!

Thanks Folks!

Griffinx

Hi,
Is there a version of JSMS available for the Nokia e51. I have successfully installed other java applications but when I try to install the platform independent version of jsms.jar the phone says its an invalid jar file.

Thanks,
Gx

fbradyirl

Griffinx wrote: »

Hi,
Is there a version of JSMS available for the Nokia e51. I have successfully installed other java applications but when I try to install the platform independent version of jsms.jar the phone says its an invalid jar file.

Thanks,
Gx

JSMS is written to run on Java SE (i.e. Java for PCs), and doesn't run on mobile phones. This may change in the future if we get time to port it to J2ME for mobile devices.

Cheers
Finbarr