Frequently Asked Questions

Q What is Gush?

A.Gush makes instant messaging and news aggregation simple, functional, and attractive. Gush excels at the functionality it provides without including the kitchen sink. Its not just pretty looks -- Gush provides several unique features such as Split Chat, real IM conversation management, IM Announcements, and a tabbed News Reader.

Gush also has many advantages over AOL IM, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger by virtue of using the standards-based, open architecture Jabber/XMPP network. Unlike legacy networks, Jabber is not centralized giving flexibility to companies while avoiding a single point of failure. In addition, Jabber/XMPP, and thus Gush, strives to be secure as possible. Download Gush and find out what you've been missing.

Q How do I get started using Gush?

A. Please refer to our getting started tutorial.

Q What is Jabber?

A. Jabber is the messaging protocol that Gush uses, allowing you to communicate with your friends and colleagues. It has a number advantages over other message networks, such as AIM, MSN, and Yahoo, and enables Gush to provide you with features like Split Chat, offline messaging, presence control, and Announcements. Find out more about Jabber .

Q What are Weblogs and RSS?

A. Weblogs, or blogs, are a way of publishing to the web one idea at a time. By simplifying the process of publishing, letting authors create posts easily, and making it simple to link to related ideas on the web, blogs make it easy to update a website while still making sure your words retain a clear, personal voice.

Weblogs generally produce RSS (Really Simple Syndication) files that contain XML descriptions of the items on that weblog. The real power of RSS is that other programs, such as the Gush News Reader, can easily process these files and bring all your favorite content to you in a central and automated manner.

Q What are Gush Announcements?

A. You can find out more about this great feature here.

Q How do I use Split Chat?

A. Discover all you can do with Split Chat here.

Q How do I setup Gush if I use it at work or am behind a firewall?

A. Check out this short tutorial.

Q How do I setup my AIM, MSN, Yahoo, and ICQ accounts?

A. Check out this short tutorial.

Q How do I enter a username/password for the HTTP Proxy setup?

A. This only applies to the HTTP Proxy setup for the news reader. In the server field your entry should look like this,

username:password@server

Q I use Firefox but Gush is opening links in Internet Explorer.

A. This can happen when firefox is not properly configured as your default browser. To fix this, follow these steps:

1. Open Explorer
2. Select Tools and then Folder Options
3. Select the File Types tab
4. Select Extension: (NONE), File Type: HyperText Transfer Protocol
5. Click Advanced toward the bottom of the window
6. In the Edit File Type window, select open and click Edit
7. Clear the DDE message box (which should contain "%1")
8. Click OK, Click OK
9. Repeat for File Type: HyperText Transfer Protocol with Privacy

Q Where can I get a list of all the keyboard shortcuts?

A. Right here.

Q Where is the Send button?

A. You don't need it! Simply press enter to send your messages.

Q What is the difference between working Online, Offline, and Invisible?

A. This default behavior is to login "Online", which connects you to your jabber server allowing you to see and message your contacts. If you want to login to your jabber server, but don't want your contacts to see that you are available, choose the "Invisible" setting. This is helpful if you want to just talk to a few contacts or want to retrieve some information without being seen online. Working "Offline" let's you log into Gush even if you don't have an internet connection. You can still access your newsfeeds, announcements, and archived conversations in "Offline" mode.

Q Why can't I login in Invisible Mode?

Q Why can't I appear Invisible to or Block my contacts after logging in?

A. Gush supports Invisible and Block settings only for Jabber XMPP servers that enable privacy management. As more servers become XMPP compliant, the functionality for your account may be restored. You will always be able to create an account at 2entwine.net which is XMPP compliant and allows Invisibility and Blocking settings.

Q XMPP Privacy and why you may not be getting IM messages.

A. XMPP offers privacy management which is a brand new feature in the JabberD 2.0 server and in Gush. Gush makes use of XMPP privacy so that you may appear invisible to, or completely block a contact.

In addition to Buddy List operations, Gush sets a default privacy policy that will block messages if it meets the following three criteria:

1. The person is not on your Buddy List
2. The person is not from the same domain as you (e.g. 2entwine.net)
3. The contact's domain is not in the Privacy domain safe list as set in the Preferences panel.

In Gush, the normal process of adding a contact to your Buddy List, in order to message them, ensures that both parties will be able to communicate with each other. If you're used to how other Jabber clients work, then you can disable Gush's default privacy policy in the Preferences panel.

Q How do I boost the performance of Gush?

A. In Windows 2000 and XP, you can change the priority of the Gush interface. Todo this, open the Task Manager, usually by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete, and right-click on _GUSHUI.exe under the Image Name column. Then select "Set Priority..." and either choose "AboveNormal" or "High". "Realtime" is only recommended for multi-processor machines.

Q How do I send a message to multiple contacts?

A. There are two ways to do this. Using your mouse, hold down the Shift key and click on all the message windows you would like to include, then simple start typing to compose your message. You can also do this using just your keyboard by holding down Ctrl + Shift and then using your arrow keys to select multiple windows.

Q How do I add my own backgrounds to the default list in the Desktop Panel?

A. Simply copy your pictures or Flash backgrounds to the "Backgrounds" directory which can be typically found at C:\Program Files\Gush\Data\Backgrounds.

Q Who designed Gush's icons and backgrounds?

A. Most of the default backgrounds and icons were made by mandolux.

Q I don't understand that internet jive.

A. Here are some acronyms to get you started:

AFAIK As far as I know
AFK Away from keyboard
ASAP As soon as possible
BBL Be Back Later
BFO Blind flash of the obvious
BRB Be Right Back
BTDT Been there, done that
BTW By the way
CTRN Can't talk right now
DQMOT Don't quote me on this
F2F Face to face
FWIW For what it's worth
FYI For your information
HTH Hope [this|that] helps
IIRC If I recall correctly
IM[H]O In my [humble] opinion
IMHCO In my humble but correct opinion
IOW In other words
JK Just kidding
KISS Keep it simple, stupid
LMK Let Me Know
LOL Laughing out loud
ROFL Rolling on the floor laughing
ROFLMAO Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off
NP No problem
OIC Oh, I see
OMG Oh my Gush
OTOH On the other hand
OTP On the phone
TIA Thanks in advance
TTYL Talk to you later
TX Thanks
YMMV Your millage may vary

Q Is Gush a RIA or a Web application?

A. Neither. Gush is the world's first IGA or Instant Gratification Application. An IGA is the type of application that you can sit down to and start enjoying from the very beginning. Video games could be considered IGA's but they usually have far too long of an introduction, and complex controller settings pretty much prevent video games from obtaining the IGA classification.

Q Whats the obsession with the Big Lebowski?

A. Obviously you're not a golfer.