TChat — Terminal Chat / Link v2.0

A CRT-styled, BBS-flavored single-page web app. Sign in with Google, send 1:1 messages, broadcast on radio frequencies, write social posts, comment, like, and tinker with retro terminal themes — all in vanilla JS over Firebase.

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    | |   | |    | |__   __ _| |_
    | |   | |____| | | | (_| | |_
    |_|    \_____|_| |_|\__,_|\__|  v2.0

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Screenshots

Drop PNGs into docs/img/ and they'll render here automatically.

Boot — BIOS + kernel handshake	Welcome — quick-start + ASCII logo
Chat — burn messages, mentions, ASCII	Radio — [freq] MHz rooms with admins
Posts — title / body / ASCII art	Profile — bio + post list
Feed — recent / top / search	Mobile — full-screen TUI + TAB key

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Quick start

# ES modules need an HTTP server. file:// will not work.
python -m http.server 8000
# then open http://localhost:8000/

Sign in with Google (top of commands.js bootstraps anonymous mode for browsing). The Firebase config in scripts/firebase-config.js points at the live tchat-b75ee project, so local sessions hit production Firestore — be considerate.

To run on mobile, just point your phone's browser at the same LAN address. The app uses 100dvh and a touch-aware TAB button so the on-screen keyboard doesn't fight the autocomplete.

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Architecture

index.html loads exactly one ES module — scripts/script.js. That entry point imports the rest. One responsibility per file:

File	What it does
script.js	Entry. Wires modules, owns the global keydown router, file-upload handler.
firebase-config.js	Firebase init: app, auth, db, appId.
state.js	Single mutable state object. mode is the central switch.
data.js	bootText, commandsList, subCommands, EMOJI_MAP.
utils.js	SoundSys, themes, ASCII conversion, parseEmojis, getConversationId.
ui.js	DOM refs, addMessage, autocomplete, boot sequence, closeAllWindows, list-nav helper.
auth.js	Google login/logout, status, notification listener, motd, blocked-set listener.
commands.js	processCommand dispatcher + help text.
chat.js	1:1 conversations, mention notifications, block-aware filtering.
radio.js	Broadcast frequency rooms with admins / kick / unkick.
social.js	Friends, mentions, whois, ping, neofetch, block/unblock, who.
posts.js	Post writer, viewer, reader, likes, deletes, comments composer.
comments.js	Read/write helpers for the posts/{id}/comments subcollection.
profile-editor.js	TUI editor for nickname / bio / avatar.
feed.js	Global feed: recent / top / search modes.

The state.mode enum drives keystroke routing: COMMAND | CHAT | RADIO | PROFILE_EDIT | TUI_PROFILE | TUI_POST_WRITE | TUI_POST_READ | TUI_FEED.

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Command reference

Type any command in the prompt. TAB autocompletes. ↑/↓ scrolls history.

Auth & profile

Command	Description
login	Google OAuth popup.
logout	Drops back to guest mode.
set-bio	Open the profile editor (nickname / bio / avatar).
whois [email]	Look up any user's public profile.
profile	Open your profile + post list.
status [online|away|busy]	Set presence. Visible to friends.

Social

Command	Description
friend add [email]	Add someone to your friends list.
friend nick [email] [name]	Set a personal nickname.
unfriend [email]	Remove a friend.
friends	List with online-status dots.
friends-email	List with raw emails + nicknames.
who	Just the friends currently online.
block [email]	Mute a user (client-side filter — see caveat below).
unblock [email]	Restore.
ping [email]	Probe presence + round-trip time.
reqbox	Inbound chats from non-friends.
mentions	Recent @(you) events.

Chat & radio

Command	Description
chat [name|email]	Start a 1:1 conversation.
radio [freq]	Tune to a public broadcast (e.g. radio 101.5).
burn [msg]	Send a 10-second self-destruct (works in chat or radio).
ascii [url]	Render and send ASCII art. With no URL, opens file picker.
host	Claim host on an unowned radio channel.
host [name]	Promote another user to admin (host only).
unhost [name]	Demote.
kick [name]	Ban from the current radio channel.
unkick [name]	Unban.
host-list	Show admins + ban count.
exit	Leave the chat / radio room.

In any message, (emoji-name) expands (try (tableflip)), and @(DisplayName) mentions someone — they get a screen flash + notification on their end.

Posts & feed

Command	Description
post	Open the post writer (title + body + optional ASCII). Ctrl+Enter publishes.
feed	Latest 50 posts globally.
top	50 highest-liked posts.
search [query]	Client-side keyword search across the latest 100 posts.
delete-post	Delete the open post (author only). Two-keystroke confirm.
comment	Open the comment composer for the open post.

In the post reader: [L] like (per-user), [C] comment, [D] delete (own posts), [ESC] close.

System

Command	Description
date	Full date string.
time	Current time + timezone.
uptime	How long this session has been running.
motd	Show the message-of-the-day (auto-shown once per session).
dnd [on|off]	Do-not-disturb — silences mention flash + sound.
neofetch	Retro system-info screen.
mute / unmute	Toggle all sounds.
clear	Wipe the screen.
emoji	List every emoji code.
help	This reference, in-app.

Themes

Command	Description
theme [name]	Switch palette. Names: green, amber, blue, white, matrix, red, purple, c64, gameboy.
theme random	Surprise me.

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Keyboard shortcuts

Key	Where	Action
TAB	Anywhere	Autocomplete commands / emoji codes / @(mention) (in radio).
↑ / ↓	Command line	Scroll command history.
Shift+Enter	Command line	Insert newline (multi-line input).
Enter	Command line	Submit.
Escape	TUI window	Close window / cancel composer / cancel pending delete.
L	Post reader	Toggle like.
C	Post reader	Open comment composer.
D then Y	Post reader (own post)	Delete post.
Ctrl+Enter	Post writer / comment	Publish / send.
[TAB] button	Mobile	Touch-friendly autocomplete trigger.

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Themes

Name	Main	System	Chat	Error	Radio
green (default)	#33ff00	#ffaa00	#00ccff	#ff3333	#ff33cc
amber	#ffb000	#ffcc00	#ffb000	#ff5500	#ff8800
blue	#0088ff	#00aaff	#00ffff	#ff3333	#cc00ff
white	#e0e0e0	#ffffff	#cccccc	#ff3333	#ff00ff
matrix	#00ff41	#008f11	#003b00	#ff3333	#00ff00
red	#ff3333	#ff8800	#ff66aa	#ffff00	#ff00ff
purple	#cc66ff	#ff99ff	#9966ff	#ff3333	#ff33cc
c64	#a0a0ff	#7878d8	#ffffff	#ff5555	#ffff55
gameboy	#9bbc0f	#8bac0f	#306230	#0f380f	#306230

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Firestore data model

All paths root at artifacts/{appId}/... where appId = 'tchat-terminal' by default.

public/data/
  user_profiles/{uid}        # displayName, bio, avatarAscii, status, joinedAt
  posts/{postId}             # author fields, title, body, asciiArt, likes, likedBy[]
    comments/{commentId}     # authorId, authorName, text, timestamp
  messages/{msgId}           # conversationId = sortedUid_sortedUid OR RADIO_{freq}
  radio_channels/{freq}      # admins[], banned[]
  system/motd                # { text } — read-only client-side, write via console

users/{uid}/
  friends/{friendUid}        # owner-only
  notifications/{notifId}    # owner-only
  blocked/{blockedUid}       # owner-only — client-side mute list

@(displayName) mentions in messages or comments write a notification doc to the recipient's notifications subcollection. Their listener picks it up with a 30-second freshness gate and runs the screen flash.

Block caveat: blocking is currently client-side only. The blocker's UI filters out messages from the blocked uid in the onSnapshot callback, but the blocked user can still write messages and see all public posts. Set up server-side rules if you need real isolation — see FIRESTORE_RULES.md.

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Setup

1. Set up Firebase Auth with the Google provider.
2. Create a Firestore database.
3. Copy the rules from FIRESTORE_RULES.md into the Firebase Console rules editor and publish.
4. Update scripts/firebase-config.js if you're not using the bundled config.
5. (Optional) Create the doc artifacts/tchat-terminal/public/data/system/motd with a text field — it'll show on login.

The repo's .gitignore keeps Claude Code metadata (CLAUDE.md, .claude/) out of version control.

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Mobile notes

• TUI windows go full-screen on phones (≤ 480px) so post bodies and comments aren't cramped.
• Post inputs use font-size: 16px to prevent iOS auto-zoom on focus.
• The on-screen [TAB] button next to the input bar is the touch-autocomplete affordance — it triggers the same handler as keyboard TAB.
• Tested on Chrome / Safari mobile emulation. If the soft keyboard hides the input line, scroll the chat history; the input scrolls into view on focus.

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License & credits

Author: Kia Hawatri. Licensed under MIT (or whichever license you'd like — drop a LICENSE file in the root).

Built with vanilla JS and a lot of addMessage(...). No frameworks, no bundler, no test runner. Stays that way on purpose.