Welcome to CoolTalk

CoolTalk is a realtime audio and data collaboration tool specificall designed for the Internet.  Users can enhance interpersonal communications and avoid long distance phone charges.

CoolTalk is redefining how people communicate – whether it is across the country or around the world.

CoolTalk provides full-duplex audio conferencing, allowing both users to speak and be heard simultaneously.  Unlike audio-only Internet products, CoolTalk includes:  a Chat Tool and a Shared Whiteboard for textual and graphical data conferencing.

CoolTalk allows you to talk and work collaboratively with friends and associates on the Internet anywhere in the world.  You can share baby pictures with an old friend in Iowa, finalize an advertising campaign with a client in Chicago, meet with your business associate in Florida and visit with a family in Connecticut.  It avoids long distance phone charges, by turning the Internet into a telephone.


Start Conference

Selecting Start … from the Conference menu launches the open conference dialog.  From this dialog you can initiate a conference with another CoolTalk user.

  Starting a Conference


Leaving a Conference
Leave Conference

Select Leave Conference to end the current CoolTalk conference.  Before you leave the conference, you will be prompted for confirmation.  If you select Yes, then your connection to the other conference member will be closed.


The Options Dialog

Selecting Options from the Conference menu launches the CoolTalk Options dialog.


Exiting CoolTalk

Selecting Exit from the Conference menu closes the CoolTalk application.  Before the application is closed, you will be prompted for confirmation.  If you are participating ina conference when you exit CoolTalk, you will automatically leave the conference first.


System Info

Selecting System Info launches InSoft’s System Information utility, which provides you with data about your system’s configuration and installed devices.


Registering CoolTalk

Selecting this item opens the CoolTalk Registration Tool.


Configuring CoolTalk
Configuring CoolTalk Plugins

Selecting Plugin Configuration will launch the Plugin Configuration Tool, which enables you to select IICE Plugins for use with CoolTalk.


The Address Book

The Address Book contains a list of all of the CoolTalk users that you have conferenced with in the past.  From the Address Book, you can either select a user that you want to conference with, or you can enter a user’s address by hand.

In order to enter a custom address, click on the field above the address listing.  You should then enter their username and hostname in the form of user@host.  CoolTalk will then attempt to invite them into a conference.

To Delete a user that appears in your Address Book, highlight their entry and click on the Delete button.

To add a user to your Speed Dial bar, select their name in the list and click on the Add to Speed Dial button.


IS411 User List
Double clicking on a name from this list invites them to join a conference.

  The IS411 Server


Conference Options

The Conference Options page allows you to set up some basic options that will govern the behavior of CoolTalk.  Options include the Bandwidth Manager, IS411 Server setup, and Invitation behavior.


Enter the hostname of the IS411 Server you will be using in this area.

  The IS411 Server


Type Caption for New Topic Right Here
Selecting this option toggles whether or not you will be listed on the IS411 Server that you have selected.

  The IS411 Server


Selecting this button will set CoolTalk to utilize 14.4kbps bandwidth or less when you have the Bandwidth Manager turned on.

  The Bandwidth Manager


Selecting this button will set CoolTalk to utilize 28.8kbps bandwidth or less when the Bandwidth Manager is active.

  The Bandwidth Manager


Selecting this button will set CoolTalk to throttle its bandwidth usage to the amount that you specify, when the Bandwidth Manager is active.

  The Bandwidth Manager


Choosing this option causes you to automatically refuse any conference invitations you are sent.


Selecting this option causes CoolTalk to prompt you when you are invited into a conference. From the prompt you can accept or decline the invitation.


Choosing this option sets Coolview to automatically accept any conference invitations that you are sent.


Selecting this option toggles the Bandwidth Manager.


Enter the amount of bandwidth that you wish to throttle CoolTalk to in this blank.


Select the units that you wish the Bandwidth Manager’s setting to be measured in.


Enter the location of the folder  where incoming answering machine messages will be stored.


Open a browser and locate the folder where incoming messages will be stored.


Play the selected message.

  Operating the Answering Machine


Stop playing the selected message.


Delete the selected message.


Call back the person who left the selected message.


Save the selected message as a Wave file.


This window contains a list of the current answering machine messages.


Enter the name of the Wave file that you wish to use as your outgoing answering machine message.


Open a browser to locate the outgoing message file that you wish to use.


Play back the current outgoing message.


Stop playing (or recording) the outgoing message.


Record a new outgoing message.

  Operating the Answering Machine


Select the person that you want to invite and double click on their name, or enter the Internet address of the user you wish to invite in the space provided.

  Starting a Conference


Push this button to add the user that is currently highlighted to your Speed Dial Bar.


Starting a CoolTalk Conference

To start a new conference, you will first need to locate the person that you want to conference with. If you have conferenced with the person before, their Internet address will appear in your Address Book. If not, they may be registered with the IS411 server. Finally, you can enter their name manually in your Address Book.

To invite a user that appears in your Address Book, double click on their name and an invitation will automatically be sent to them. To invite someone registered with the IS411 Server, double click on their name in the listing. If the person you want to invite is not listed in your Address Book or on the IS411 Server, type their Internet Address in the space provided on the Address Book page.

When you send out an invitation to another user, CoolTalk will contact their host and check to see if CoolTalk is running. If they are running CoolTalk and are not participating in another conference, they will be invited to join your conference. Once they act on your invitation, you will be notified of the result.


CoolTalk Conference Management

In order to communicate with other CoolTalk users, you need to participate in a conference. To do so, you can either initiate a conference with another user, or you can accept an invitation that is extended to you. Once you are participating in a conference, you can use Audio, the Whiteboard, or the Chat Tool to communicate.

CoolTalk can be set to react to conference invitations that it receives in three different ways. It can accept all invitations, refuse all invitations, or you can set CoolTalk so that it gives you the option to accept or decline each invitation individually. To set this behavior, select Options from the Conference menu. Click on the Conference tab when the Options dialog opens. Select the behavior that you prefer.

After you join or start a conference, you can leave it at any time by selecting Leave from the conference menu. When you leave the conference, you will be asked for confirmation, and if you click on Yes, the connection will be closed.

 Starting a Conference

 The IS411 Server


The IS411 Server

The IS411 Server is a service that enables you to locate other CoolTalk users, and to provide your name and address to other users. In order to use an IS411 server, you will need to supply its host address to CoolTalk.

To do so, select Options from the Conference menu. When the Options dialog opens, click on the Conference tab. In the IS411 Server area, enter the hostname of the IS411 Server you will be using. This will enable you to locate other users registered with that IS411 Server.

If you want to register with the IS411 Server so that other users can locate you, click on the “Make me available through server” box. When this box is selected, your name and Internet address will appear to other users that are connected to the same IS411 Server that you are.

To invite another CoolTalk user that is registered with the IS411 Server that you have selected, select Start from the Conference menu. When the Open Conference dialog opens, select the IS411 Directory tab. A listing of the users who are registered with the IS411 Server will appear. To invite one of them, double click on their name in the list.

To add a user found on the IS411 Server to your Speed Dial Bar, highlight their name in the list and click on the Add to Speed Dial button.


The Bandwidth Manager

The Bandwidth Manager is used to throttle the bandwidth consumed by CoolTalk to optimize its performance over whatever network you are using.

To select the bandwidth that your network supports, open the Options dialog from the Conference menu. Click on the Conference tab when the dialog appears. You can then select either 14,400 modem, 28,000 modem, or enter a custom bandwidth in the space provided. Once you have set your bandwidth appropriately, click on Use Bandwidth Manager to activate it.


The Answering Machine

The CoolTalk Answering Machine enables users to send you messages if you are away from your computer and they attempt to conference with you. Its operation is analagous to that of an answering machine used with a normal telephone, with some improvements.

Like a real answering machine, the CoolTalk Answering Machine connects after a few rings and plays an outgoing message. It then records a message from the calling party and saves it to a file on disk. When you return to your keyboard you can play back recorded messages.

 To activate the Answering Machine, click on the Toggle Answering Machine button. When the Answering Machine is on, the computer will automacitcally pick up after three rings and play the outgoing message. The user who called can then leave their message.

 To the right of the Toggle Answering Machine button is an indicator that tells you how many incoming messages you have waiting. If you have messages waiting, you can click on the button to open the Answering Machine.

Operating the Answering Machine

Recording a New Outgoing Message


Operating the Answering Machine

In order to play back an incoming message, highlight in your Incoming Message list and click on the Play button. The message will begin to play, if you want to stop playing the message click on the Stop button.

When a message is selected, the Business Card Photo of the sender will appear in the upper right hand corner of the Answering Machine window. To sort your incoming messages click on the headings in the Message List.

To erase  the message that is currently selected, click on the Delete Message button. To return the message sender’s call, click on the Call Back button. To save the message as a Wave file on your disk, click on the Save WAVE File button.

You can also select the folder where you want to store incoming messages. By default, incoming messages are stored in a subdirectory named after your computer’s hostname in CoolTalk’s home directory. You can specify a different directory to store them in. Either type in a new name or click on the browse button to locate an alternate directory.


Recording a New Outgoing Message

You can either record a new outgoing message, or if you have a file you wish to use as your outgoing message stored on disk, you can select it instead. To record a new greeting, make sure that your audio is configured properly, and click on the record button in the Greeting area. When you are done with your message, click on the Stop button to the left of the Record button.

To listen to your greeting, press the Play button in the Greeting area.

To select a file from disk, either type the file’s location in the area provided, or click on the browse button to locate the file.


Audio Communications with CoolTalk

CoolTalk provides users with realtime audio communications capabilities. When you are in a conference with another user and you have your audio card(s) configured properly, you will be able to conduct a conversation as though you were using a conventional telephone.

In order to facilitate audio communications, CoolTalk’s interface includes meters that monitor audio record and playback. The record meter includes two controls, the Silence Sensor and Echo Cancellation. The red marks show the Silence Sensor Setting, the white marks show the Echo Cancellation setting.

The Silence Sensor is designed to prevent CoolTalk from sending audio when the user is not speaking. When the record meter is below the Silence Sensor marks, no audio is sent. Therefore, the Silence Sensor should be set just above the record meter’s level when the room is not speaking. It should be set as close to this level as possible so that CoolTalk begins sending audio immediately when the user starts to speak. To set the Silence Sensor, press the mouse button when the pointer is over the red marks and slide them to the appropriate level.

The Echo Cancellation setting is similar to the Silence Sensor. It sets the level at which audio is sent when the other conference member is speaking. Your microphone can pick up audio played by your speakers, and transmit it back to the other conference member, causing them to hear an “echo”.  To prevent this from occurring, when another conference member is speaking the audio level must be above the white marks before audio is sent. The lowest level that Echo Cancellation can be set to is the Silence Sensor level. CoolTalk works well when the Echo Cancellation marks are set all the way to the right on the meter.


This screen provides you with information about the person you are conferencing with.


The Setup Wizard

The Setup Wizard automatically tests your computer’s hardware and sets up CoolTalk to work properly with your audio card.


The Answering Machine

The CoolTalk Answering Machine enables users to send you messages if you are away from your computer and they attempt to conference with you. Its operation is analagous to that of an answering machine used with a normal telephone, with some improvements.

Like a real answering machine, the CoolTalk Answering Machine connects after a few rings and plays an outgoing message. It then records a message from the calling party and saves it to a file on disk. When you return to your keyboard you can play back recorded messages.

Operating the Answering Machine

Recording a New Outgoing Message


This here is a test

(New topic text goes here.)


This box contains the Business Card photo of the user who left you the currently selected answering machine message.


Click on this button to delete the highlighted address book entry.


What is CoolTalk?


Add Button

Selecting Add from the Speed Dial popup menu allows you to create a new entry on your Speed Dial Bar.  When you select Add, a dialog will appear, from which you should enter the conference address that corresponds to the button, and a label for the button.


Delete Button

Delete button removes the Speed Dial button currently under the mouse pointer from the Speed Dial Bar.


Remove All Buttons

Remove All Buttons deletes all of the buttons from the Speed Dial Bar, after asking for confirmation.


Type Caption for New Topic Right Here
Move Button Left

Moves the Speed Dial Button currently under the pointer one slot to the left.


Move Button Right

Moves the Speed Dial Button currently under the pointer one slot to the right.


Arrange Entries by Name

Arranges the entries in the Speed Dial bar in alphabetical order.


Arrange Entries by Address

Arranges the entries in the Speed Dial bar alphabetically by address.


Speed Dial Properties
Button Properties

Allows you to change the address or label that corresponds to the Speed Dial Button currently under the mouse pointer.


The CoolTalk Watchdog

The CoolTalk Watchdog is an application that can accept CoolTalk calls when the CoolTalk application is not currently loaded.  When you are invited to a call by another user, the CoolTalk Daemon will automatically start the CoolTalk application so that you don’t miss the invitation.

Usually the Watchdog is placed in the Startup program group so that it is started when you boot the computer.  If you don’t want the Watchdog to be active, you should remove it from the Startup program group.

When the Watchdog is active, its icon will appear in the TaskBar Status Tray.  In order to suspend the Watchdog’s functionality, double click on its icon.  When it is suspended, a red stop sign will appear over its icon.