Albany
Albany is a powerful product that provides all the tools you need to create:
- An interactive online community
- A corporate intranet user interface
- Internet portal site
- …and much more
The tools Albany provides include:
- Chat teleconferencing and instant messaging
- File areas and file transfers
- Message boards and newsgroups
All of these powerful tools are in a single application that is less than 2MB to download and install. Your users access these features using a custom graphical user interface that you design. You can change everything the user sees and experiences while connected to your custom online system.
Albany uses a window based system, rather than page based system like on the web, to let users quickly access the features and information they want.
Imagine having your own America Online construction kit. That’s exactly what Albany is!
Once you have designed your site using the tools that come with Albany you can host it from any web server. Albany was designed from the ground up to provide customizable graphical user interaction with your site but to be hosted off standard internet protocol servers including web, ftp, irc chat, and nntp newsgroups.
Albany’s features include:
Highly Customizable
Every part of your Albany online system can be made to look and feel exactly the way you want. Albany’s extraordinary flexibility gives you the freedom you need for developing the online system you want.
Window Engine
The Albany window engine is the heart of Albany’s uniquely customizable user interface. It creates a window-based, rather than page-based, online user interface. Users will be more comfortable and productive using this type of interface since this is what they are already used to using in every other application installed on their computers.
Custom Window Components
Albany windows are designed using components. A component can be a button, listbox, or one of many other types. The Albany SDK allows developers to create their own custom plug-in DLLs for use with Albany. Plug-in DLLs add new user interface components to the window engine. Using this SDK a developer can add virtually any feature they can imagine to Albany.
Authoring Tools Included
No need to buy extra authoring tools to create your Albany site. All Albany site licenses include the Albany ProBuilder. The ProBuilder is a complete online system and online application rapid development environment. You get complete WYSIWYG editting of your system’s windows.
Event Driven
Albany’s window engine is event driven. Each component that can be placed on a window has a set of events that occur as the user interacts with the window. You can set one or more commands that will execute for each event.
Commands and Conditions
When specifying the commands that will be executed for a specific event you have over thirty commands to choose from. These commands are designed specifically for interaction with online resources. Each set of commands can also have conditions associated with them and the commands are only executed if the conditions are met. If they are not then an alternate set of commands are executed. This allows a high degree of customization in how the user interface looks and works for different users. Base your conditions on variables that can be modified by command, user security settings, or other system information variables (such as screen size, color depth, time of day, etc.).
Automatic System Updating
Whenever a user connects to an Albany site the client software checks to see if a newer version of various parts of the site are available. When the user goes to these areas the client automatically downloads the latest version if the one cached on the client is not up to date. This can be a huge advantage for writing online applications since any updates or changes will be automatically distributed and installed on the user’s machine the next time they connect to the site to use it.
Hosted from Standard Internet Servers
No proprietary servers are needed to host an Albany site. Albany is hosted from any standard HTTP, FTP, SMTP/POP3, NNTP and IRC server. Each of these servers adds different functionality to your Albany site.
Host from Any Operating System
Since Albany uses all standard Internet protocols you can host an Albany system from any operating system including: Windows NT, OS/2, UNIX, Linux, Apple Macintosh, and any other platform that supports the necessary Internet servers.
Dial-Up and TCP/IP Network Connections
Albany connects to a site’s server using TCP/IP network connections over the Internet, an Intranet, LAN, WAN, or VPN. If the user is connecting using Windows Dial-Up Networking the Albany client can automatically dial for the user. You can also host your own PPP server and make your Albany site a dial-up site. Click here to see a screenshot.
E-mail
The Albany client software has an e-mail center built into it that allows the sending and receiving of e-mail with multiple MIME encoded file attachments. It will work with your site’s own SMTP/POP3 e-mail server.
FTP
The Albany client software has an explorer-style FTP client built right in. Only a single command is needed in your site’s design to open an FTP client connection to a specific site, using a specific user name and password, starting at a specific directory. Albany can also show file descriptions for FTP directory listings if they are defined. In your site’s design you can also determine if the user can change directories on the FTP site and if they will see a tree-view of the FTP site’s directory structure. Click here to see a screenshot.
File Download Queing
Whenever a file is selected for download it is automatically added to the Albany client’s Download Manager. The Download Manager lists all files you have selected for download. When you are done using the site you can tell the Download Manager to download all files and disconnect (or not) when completed. You can also have the Download Manager immediately download files while you are still connected. You can even pause a download if you need the bandwidth temporarily to do something else. And the best part is that if the user gets disconnected for some reason they won’t lose the files they were trying to download. The next time they connect all uncompleted downloads will still be listed in the Download Manager. The user doesn’t have to go hunting for those files all over again. Click here to see a screenshot.
Teleconferencing \ Chat System
Albany has a built-in chat system that allows users to enter various chat rooms and also have private one-on-one chat sessions with another user. The chat system allows you to customize the color messages are displayed in for individual users to make following a conversation much easier. You can even ignore all the messages from selected users. The chat system also includes complete logging capabilities so that you have a text file copy of that important chat session.
Newsgroup Access
Provide complete read and post access to any newsgroup on any server. Your site can provide access to different newsgroups located on multiple servers.
Message Boards
Albany also has a complete message board system with a graphical interface for reading and posting messages built into the client software. The message board system uses the site’s web server to host the messages instead of an NNTP server. This allows public or private secured discussions to take place even if you don’t want to operate your own NNTP server.
Single Client Application for All Features
The windows you design for your Albany site as well as the built-in Internet clients (e-mail, ftp, chat, newsgroups, message boards, and web) all operate inside the one client application. All features are tightly integrated with the rest of the client. The user never has to be confused about which program accesses what information or services.
Small Client Size
The Albany client software fits onto just two 1.44 MB disks. This simplies the distribution of the software as well as ensuring that it doesn’t take up a huge amount of space or memory on the user’s computer.
Free Client Distribution
The client software is freely distributable with no licensing fees charged for each installed client.
Free Custom Client Installs
Albany comes with a custom client install builder utility. This utility creates a customized install file for the Albany client specifically for your site. You can have the client install to any directory and program group you want. Your sites name appears on the client’s title bar and your site is pre-entered in the client’s site directory. Click here to see a screenshot.
Web Based Site Administration
Any easy-to-use web based site administration application allows you to remotely manage your message boards and user database.
Image Format Support
In Albany you have a wide range of options for controlling graphic image quality and transfer speeds. You can use JPEG, PNG, GIF and BMP images anywhere in your system’s windows.
Online Sound
You can make your online system come alive with sound! The standard Play WAV Sound command allows you to play a