Chax
Current Version: 1.5 (September 5, 2007) / 2.1.1 (January 18, 2008)
Chax is a free collection of minor modifications and additions that make using Apple's iChat more enjoyable.
Chax comes in two versions - 1.5 for Mac OS X 10.4 (iChat 3), and 2.1.1 for Mac OS X 10.5 (iChat 4).
Features of version 1.5 for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger include:
User list:
- Toggle text status visibility of users
- Set font of names, status messages, and group separators
- Show animated user icons
- Ability to hide iTunes music store links in text statuses
- Idle time included in tooltips
- Display Address Book nicknames instead of full names
- Option to show a warning before messaging mobile users
- Hide the audio/video status icon at the top of the user list
- Message a specific screen name for people with multiple screen names
Message window:
- Tabbed chats, allowing you to keep all of your chats together in one window
- Option to auto-accept text chats, skipping new message notification window
- Show status changes directly in the message window
- Disable the smiley button in text input lines
- Option to open images sent through direct connect directly in Preview
- Send away auto-reply only once per conversation
- Save and restore window positions for individual screen names
Other:
- Unread message notification in the dock
- Growl notifications for new messages
- Properly use ICQ accounts without sending text formatting in messages
- Automatically set status to away when screensaver is activated
- Option to auto-accept file transfers
- Hide all iChat windows when iChat is inactive
- Always on top option for user lists, text chats, and audio or video chats
- Set a custom away auto-reply that is different from the away message
- Change the delay of or disable auto-away
- New message windows cascade properly instead of always appearing on top of each other
- Built-in log viewer
- Activity window shows history of user status changes
- Warn before quitting while there are active chats
- Option to disable pausing of AV chats while there are active file transfers
- Disable picture-in-picture in video chats
- Automatically reconnect when disconnected
- Disable alert sounds when away, idle, or available
A detailed feature list with screen shots will provide you with even more information on this very handy - and free - product.
Version 1.5 adds/changes the following:
- (Bug) Fixed an issue where some incoming messages could not be accepted
- (Bug) Fixed missing strings in the Italian localization
- (Bug) Increased responsiveness of the log viewer
- (Bug) Log viewer now sorts logs by creation date
- (Bug) Fixed an issue where the Chax preferences could become hidden
Features of Chax 2.1.1 for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard include:
- Unified contact list shows all contacts from all accounts in one window
- Growl notifications for new messages and users changing status
- Automatically resize the contact list to fit the number of visible users
- Built-in log viewer
- Activity log that displays your contacts' status changes
- Auto-accept file transfers, AV chats, and screen sharing requests
- Toggle text status visibility of users
- Always on top option for contact list, message windows and AV chats
- Set font of names, status messages, and group separators
- Option to auto-accept text chats, skipping new message notification window
- Show status changes directly in the message window
- Additional unread message notifications in the dock
- Automatically go away when the screensaver activates
- Properly use ICQ accounts without sending text formatting in messages
Version 2.1.1 adds/changes the following from version 2.1:
- (New) Options to disable the screen saver when receiving a new text message or AV chat
- (New) Options to auto-hide the contact list and message windows when iChat is inactive
- (New) Clicking a Growl status change notification now opens a new message window
- (New) Menu item to mute all iChat alert sounds in the Audio menu
- (New) Selecting "Buddy List..." from the iChat menu extra now shows the unified contact list
- (New) German localization (thanks to Basil Brunner)
- (New) Italian localization (thanks to Marco Cavazzuti)
- (Bug) New messages when auto-accept is enabled no longer immediately pop to the front
- (Bug) Unified contact list now saves window size properly when quitting iChat while offline
- (Bug) Improved search results when searching with the log viewer
- (Bug) Unified contact list now functions when waking from sleep
- (Bug) Fixed a crash that could occur when disabling an account
- (Bug) Moving a contact into a new group now properly updates the unified contact list
- (Bug) Installer will no longer crash when running on Mac OS X 10.4
- (Bug) Installer now warns if the installing user is part of the group wheel
User Reviews
"Chax adds critical features to iChat - most notably tabbed chat windows and notifications of IMs with actual names over the iChat icon in the dock - that enable iChat to function much better, but there is still much to be done. iChat isn't going to change for a while and Chax has only made so much progress. Nevertheless, Chax is essential for iChat users that need a little more functionality out of their chat program."
—Chris May
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the Mac OS X 10.4.3+ (Universal) version (1.5).
the version 1.5 source code.
the Mac OS X 10.5.0+ (Universal) version (2.1.1).
the version 2.1.1 source code.
Version 2.1.2b2 is now available (April 14, 2008), adding/changing the following from version 2.1.1:
- (New) Options to undim the screen when receiving a message or AV invitation (b2)
- (Bug) Showing groups now restores properly for the unified contact list (b2)
- (Bug) Improved German localization (b2)
- (Bug) Viewing logs on a specific person will now properly reload logs (b2)
- (Bug) Exporting logs as text will now save status changes (b2)
- (Bug) Exporting log as text now gives a default name (b2)
- (New) Quick Look support for inline image transfers (available by right-clicking an image)
- (New) Contact lists can now be sorted by user handle (View menu | Sort Buddies | By Handle)
- (New) New default to strip background color of outgoing messages (StripOutgoingBackgroundColor)
- (New) Russian localization
- (Change) The unified contact list can now be set as the primary contact list in the Chax preferences
- (Bug) Unified contact list should now stay in sync properly with all accounts
- (Bug) Auto-replies to ICQ users are now properly stripped
- (Bug) Name notifications in the Dock now truncate better
- (Bug) Selecting "All Contacts" from the Window menu now toggles unified contact list visibility
- (Bug) Can now make all accounts invisible at once with the unified contact list
The progress log / beta page has further details about other changes leading up to this release.
Also See . . .
Can't find what you're looking for? Try a search:
Also, if you have an older Mac, be sure to check out the "Classic" applications page for more options.
Finally, take a look at ALEMIA if you think you know that name of an application, but aren't quite sure.
Also Consider . . .
These are applications that are newer and of potential interest, but which I haven't yet selected for permanent inclusion. Have a look, and let me know if you think they deserve to be part of the permanent collection!