Software Update: BitWise IM 1.7 beta 2

BitWise IM is a very comprehensive instant messenger and can also exchange files via the Direct Connect protocol. Support for the Blowfish encryption algorithm, voice chats with Speex audio compression, whiteboards and organizing online conferences is available. The pack is released under a slew of terms and conditions that apply on this page easy to read. The second beta version of BitWise IM 1.7 is available with the following changes:

BitWise IM 1.7 Beta 2 has been released for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. This version offers two major usability enhancements over 1.0.6.5: 75% reduced lag when messaging and automatic UDP configuration for voice chat. What does this mean? Dial-up users will no longer experience long message delays and you no longer need to configure your router or firewall for UDP traffic to use voice chat. It also adds a major security/portability feature: you can run BitWise “Without a Trace” from a removable disk, such as a USB drive.

version 1.7 Beta 2:

• Reduced lag during/between message transmission by 75%, very noticable on maxed out dial-up connections.
• New voice protocol that does not require UDP forwarding or firewall setup by either party, in most cases.
• When receiving voice data is delayed, catch up to real-time (ie drop old data) when data resumes.
• BitWise can be used “without a trace” on removable drives (eg USB) using “with program” settings storage.
• Whiteboard status line informs you which pages have updated material that you have not seen.
• Added option to “Conversation” menu allowing you to temporarily disable macro processing.
• Conversations windows flash using “new message” setting when a file transfer is complete.
• Setup window re-organized to group related items together in boxes with headings.
• Buttons on file transfer manager correctly update when automatically resuming the selected file.
• Alert sounds are automatically suppressed for users on your contact list that are blocked.
• Removed pointless checkboxes on logging style headings (enable use specific types, not the heading).
• Canceling a file while it is still connecting properly releases another queued file to begin.
• Names removed from login dropdown will be immediately removed without needing to re-open the login window.
• Fixed newline differences (Windows vs. Linux/Mac) from triggering Plus Key mismatch warnings.
• Fixed UDP Alert window from continuing to show even after checking not to show the alert again.
• Monolithic log options for text and XML actually work, rather than being both enabled or disabled.
• Whitespace is consistently trimmed from both ends of messages for both the sender and receiver.
• Win/Linux: Option on Helpers preferences for using a text editor rather than log viewer for text logs.
• Mac: Changed default audio buffer to 50 ms from 25 ms to alleviate choppy audio problems.