So what is NoLurking?
Well NoLurking.com is the website of Andy Stubbs. I'm just your average everyday software developer that once upon a time had far too much time on his hands. As a result I spent some of that time dabbling with web sites, web servers, mail servers and IRC (chat) servers.
I originally developed NoLurking as my own web presence, hosted on my own equipment and maintained by yours truly as a means to host my own IRC test server. I did this in order to test a chat client that I was working on for a mobile phone. That chat client was called NetwIRC and I developed it for Sony Ericsson P800, P900 and P910 mobile phones - but more about that later.
The site has changed a lot since I first developed it and long gone are the days of the old test IRC server that I used to run and along with it my old GossipJunction.com social media domain. Nowadays I simply let Google handle the domain and mail server (don't mock it, managing your own web servers nowadays is hard work if they are public facing and if Google want to manage my domain for me for free who am I to say no?).
Who the heck is Andy Stubbs?
Good question! So here's a little information about me, firstly the boring part - My career history:
1986-1990 Clerical Assistant at Colonial (formerly Colonial Mutual Life)
1990-1992 Junior Programmer at Colonial
1992-1996 Analyst Programmer at Colonial
1996-1999 Experienced Analyst Programmer at Colonial
1999-2001 Senior Analyst Programmer at Colonial
2001-2006 Senior Developer at iSoft
2007-2015 Senior Developer at Capita Employee Benefits London
2015-2016 Software Developer at Devonshire's Solicitors London
2016 to date .Net Development Team Leader at Tabs FM Limited
Aside from being a busy worker bee I also (as you can probably tell from my career history) had a pretty keen interest in computers. This interest led me to become an active Microsoft beta tester. I have been involved in multiple Windows beta test programs from Windows 98 SE through to Windows 7 and am currently signed on as a Windows Insider on the windows 10 technical preview programme. I also remain a registered member of the Microsoft Partner Network.
After the launch of Windows 95 (can you even remember that far back?) I became fascinated with the internet - or more specifically at that time Microsoft's little corner of it - the Microsoft Network. It was there that I found a fantastic and lively chat community that eventually parted ways with the Microsoft Network to grow in its own right and become known as UKChat. I spent a lot of time with UKChat, first as a chatter, then a host, then a sysop and eventually an administrator. Sadly UKChat is long gone now (gone but never forgotten as many of the ex hosts and chatters keep in touch) but I think it's safe to say that it inspired a whole new era of social media sites.
After parting ways with UKChat I got bullied into setting up my own social media server 'GossipJunction.com' also sadly now retired. A few of the old UKChat faces could often be found loitering on the messageboards but the chat rooms were usually fairly silent so eventually I took the hard decision to shut it all down and save myself a fortune in hosting fees (I blame the new fangled sites such as twitbook and myface for that!).
OK great, but what is or was NetwIRC?
NetwIRC is (or rather was) a fully feautured IRC client for Sony Ericsson P800, P900 and P910 mobile phones.
NetwIRC supported the full set of standard IRC and IRCX commands in addition to support for a few new commands designed to make life easier such as /WHISPER , /AFK, /THINK, /HOST and /DEHOST.
NetwIRC allowed you to Chat with thousands of other people online using a familiar and easy to use IRC interface.
NetwIRC allowed you to connect to any IRC network while you're on the move. You could keep in touch with family and friends from anywhere at any time.
NetwIRC's old feature list:
Compatible with Sony Ericsson P800, P900 and P910 mobile phones.
Connection Authentication using PASS command.
Full support of IRC commands using either emulated keyboard or handwritting recognition.
Ability to toggle User List window on and off to give a more comfortable viewing area.
Full server Room List Screen.
Full server User List Screen
Ability to view all occupants of a selected room via a single tap from the User List screen.
Ability to instantly join a friends room from either the user list or room list screens.
Status Window.
Retrieve a users IP address from a single click from the user list.
Displays Away notifications on user list and main room title if you are marked as away.
NetwIRC was finally given away as freeware when it reached it's end of life (i.e I had made back the money that I spent on the development environment in order to develop it) prior to which it was sold via Handango.
SCREENSHOTS
