A lot of people have noticed problems in the chat room. So far, I haven't received any complaints about it, but I thought I'd go address it anyways since it's happening more and more often.
Why The Problems Now?
As anyone knows, the problems in the chat have always happened. However, they are becoming increasingly frequent. The reason for this is simply the number of people in the chat. Until two months ago, it was rare for there to be any more than 8 people in the chat. Nowadays, it's common to see 12, 15, and even 20 people in the chat.
So why does it matter how many people are in the chat?
YWS operates on a server, which is just a computer. Like your computer, some applications use more memory than others. The chat program uses a lot of memory, and it uses more when there are more people in there. But the server only has so much memory, so what happens is the same thing that happens on your computer: it begins to slow down. This slow down is the lag you are getting.
Can't you do anything?
Yes, and no. I can't do anything because the chat is written in Flash. I don't have the software necessary to edit Flash code, much less the knowledge. I can change some elements (censors, user controls) because those are expressly editable. But, I can't change the nuts and bolts.
However, I could get a new chat program. But, to get one similar to the one we have now without the problems would cost at least a hundred dollars, and that comes with some severe limitations.
Yet, I could get another one for free, but it wouldn't be like what we have now. There are a couple different ones, including an html version of the one we have now. All of these, though, are not nearly as good.
So...
So, if things get worse, I will change the chat program, but it's not going to be a change a lot of people will like. All that stuff you like currently, such as pmming in the chat, Fred, different colors, icons, smilies, backgrounds, sounds, will all be gone.
At this point though, I don't think it's that bad. The problems, for now, are bearable. Yet, that probably won't be the case in another two months.
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