net.sharksystem.messenger

Interface SharkMessengerChannel

All Known Subinterfaces:

SharkMessengerClosedChannel

All Known Implementing Classes:

SharkMessengerChannelImpl

public interface SharkMessengerChannel

From a technical perspective, radio channels described by a frequency like e.g. 97,7 MHz. Radio transceivers can be tune to a specific channel, a specific frequency. Now, we will receive information sent over this channel, this frequency.

A SharkMessengerChannel works in a similar way. It uses an URI instead of a frequency. User will receive messages on that channel, once their messenger component is tuned accordingly. Our Shark component can listen to more that one channel of course. We can also send information into this channel.

There are two other general differences to radio broadcasts and Internet based social networks, though. Maybe the biggest difference (and advantage) of a Shark Messenger (and any Shark and ASAP based application) compared to Internet based applications, especially social networks is its freedom to chose a communication path. This choice can even be changed anytime.

A Shark Messenger running in stone age or bronze mode would only use ad-hoc networks for information exchange. Eavesdropping becomes a challenge. There won't be any footprint of this communication in Internet. The URI would become a kind of code word. Messengers aware of that word would exchange information. Other would not.

A set of peers can be defined who are trusted messengers. In that case, only those peers would be allowed to route a message.

Iron mode allows routing messages over routed long range networks, e.g. Internet but also other multihop networks e.g. based on LoRa.

Author:

Thomas Schwotzer

Method Summary

Modifier and Type	Method and Description
SharkCommunicationAge	getAge()
SharkMessageList	getMessages() Return a list of all messages (sent and received) ordered by timestamp.
SharkMessageList	getMessages(boolean sentMessagesOnly, boolean ordered) Produce a list of messages in this channel.
java.lang.CharSequence	getName()
java.lang.CharSequence	getURI() Return the URI of this channel.
boolean	isBronzeAge()
boolean	isInternetAge()
boolean	isStoneAge()
void	setAge(SharkCommunicationAge channelAge)

Method Detail

setAge

void setAge(SharkCommunicationAge channelAge)

getAge

SharkCommunicationAge getAge()

getURI

java.lang.CharSequence getURI()
                       throws java.io.IOException

Return the URI of this channel.

Returns:

Throws:

java.io.IOException

getName

java.lang.CharSequence getName()
                        throws java.io.IOException

Throws:

java.io.IOException

isStoneAge

boolean isStoneAge()

isBronzeAge

boolean isBronzeAge()

isInternetAge

boolean isInternetAge()

getMessages

SharkMessageList getMessages(boolean sentMessagesOnly,
                             boolean ordered)
                      throws SharkMessengerException,
                             java.io.IOException

Produce a list of messages in this channel.

Parameters:

sentMessagesOnly - true: only messages sent by this peer; false: also received messages

ordered - true: messages are sorted by a timestamp (note1: sorting is useless when using sentMessagesOnly == true. They are already ordered. note2: timestamps are produced from distributed and not synchronized clocks. It is not safe)

Returns:

Throws:

SharkMessengerException

java.io.IOException

getMessages

SharkMessageList getMessages()
                      throws SharkMessengerException,
                             java.io.IOException

Return a list of all messages (sent and received) ordered by timestamp. For comments of time stamp accuracy, see comment in order parameter in the full variant of this method

Returns:

Throws:

SharkMessengerException

java.io.IOException

See Also:

getMessages(boolean, boolean)