Rationale

Our current chat software is old and no longer supported by the company who makes it (who went out of business with no notice). Because browsers and smartphones are always changing, we need to keep up with the technology when it comes to chat (which is different than the forums). It's hard to do that when the company has stopped performing updates to its software.

Therefore, we need a new chat room system.

The Choice

After evaluating a host of different products, we're likely going to be settling on this product to implement:

https://www.arrowchat.com/features/

You're welcomed to go over and give it a try on their website. The only thing it doesn't support right now is the ability to see who is in what chat room from outside the chat system. I don't think that's a deal breaker, but I do understand how we would prefer it to be different.

This chat system also supports one-on-one chats outside of the chat system (e.g., anytime you log onto the forums), so it makes it easier to keep in touch and chat with your friends. It is similar to the Comet Chat bar we had at the bottom of the forums for a year or two.

Let me know what you think!

Best,
DocJohn