Software Update: BitWise IM 1.7

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. After three beta releases, the development team has released version 1.7 with the following changes since version 1.0.6.5:

Changes in version 1.7:

• 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.
• Message numbers in conversations will sync with your contact’s number for easier message referencing.
• Whiteboard status line informs you which pages have updated material that you have not seen.
• Added Save to the Encryption Key display dialog (used for your own keys or contacts’ new/matching keys).
• 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.
• Unified directory and file name storage to use / all the time for portability among platforms.
• Font preferences stored with an OS appendix to prevent platform fights over fonts on mobile installations.
• Store Helpers with an OS appendix so mobile installations of BitWise can maintain platform-specific helpers.
• Names removed from login dropdown will be immediately removed without needing to re-open the login window.
• Import loads encryption preferences from the exported file, including encryption keys (if any).
• Contact List preferences under Server renamed to just Contacts to reduce confusion.
• Log viewer loads files in one piece to prevent Unicode characters from being split and garbled.
• Does not allow “Restore Original Name” to restore a name that would be a duplicate.
• 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.
• Windows: Prevent focus stealing when one window is already open and another is created in the background.
• Windows: Switching between registry and file preferences storage no longer crashes with saved passwords.
• Windows: Running BitWise with no one logged in and the login window closed will show the login window again.
• Windows: Undo buffer for the new message text box is no longer deleted when the text box is cleared.
• 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.