Why is BeeBEEP free?

Good question. I could talk for hours about what it means for me give BeeBEEP as a gift, the reasons are many and not always as obvious as it may seem. I'll tell you the two main ones.

The first reason is that basically I always look for personal growth in all the things I do. If this growth brings money then so much better for me, but it's not important as long as I have a roof to sleep under, some books and a computer where I can realize my ideas.

Regarding second main reason, BeeBEEP is a great computer gym. It gives me the opportunity to understand problems and find solutions. It allows me to grow professionally as not only as a programmer but also in managing everything that revolves around software.
BeeBEEP is part of my curriculum vitae.
BeeBEEP is something tangible that makes the difference more than any piece of paper.
BeeBEEP is like a letter of introduction signed by more than 200,000 users who used it every day in 2020.
BeeBEEP is my business card.

[Back to the questions]

With which license is BeeBEEP released?

From 2010 to today BeeBEEP is released under the GNU General Public License v3.

BeeBEEP Copyright (C) 2010-2020 Marco Mastroddi
BeeBEEP is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License or (at your option) any later version.
BeeBEEP is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

If you have questions or need more information, here's where to look for answers:

• GNU - GPL v3
• GNU - GPL v3 - Quick guide
• GNU - GPL v3 - Frequently asked questions

[Back to the questions]

Does BeeBEEP work even if my company has several locations with different networks configured?

Yes, it does, if the locations in your company are interconnected through a vpn or something similar.
The best performance test I know is that of a company with 5500+ workstations, in 700+ locations, span 5000+ kilometers with many ISP vendors (as the review on the homepage tells).

[Back to the questions]

Are file transfers and desktop sharing also encrypted?

Yes they are. Each BeeBEEP peer-to-peer connection is always encrypted with a 256-bit random generated key.

[Back to the questions]

What is the BeeBEEP resource folder?

It is the folder from which BeeBEEP loads its resource files: beebeep.rc configuration file, translations, plugins, default beep file (beep.wav) and other libraries. It is usually the same folder where the BeeBEEP executable is present. In unix systems the following folders will also be checked:

The last path that is checked is the data folder.
You can see what is the default resource folder in the BeeBEEP menu Main - Open your resource folder...
If the menu item is not present then the resource folder is the same as the data.

[Back to the questions]

What is the beebeep.rc file?

It is a text file where the initial configuration of BeeBEEP is stored. It is mainly used to provide a series of standard options for use in your network.
Being a text file you can create it with any editor, like "Notepad" on Windows, "gedit" on Linux and "TextEdit" on MacOSX. Normally the file should be placed in the resource folder.

• See all file options: BEEBEEP-HELP.txt.
• Sample configuration file: beebeep.rc.

Please note that all options in the beebeep.rc file must be inserted after the [BeeBEEP] group.
To see which options have been enabled, open the BeeBEEP log.

[IMPORTANT] If the value of an option in the beebeep.rc file is a string containing a period, comma or other type of punctuation, you must enclose the string in two quotation marks ".
For example:

[NOTE] Since version 5.8.4 many of the options in the beebeep.ini file can be written to the beebeep.rc file to be applied to all users of that computer.

Do you want an example on how to use the beebeep.rc file? Visit the online help.

[Back to the questions]

What is the BeeBEEP data folder?

It is the folder where BeeBEEP stores the data of the user who is using it as the configuration file (beebeep.ini), the log file (beebeep.log - only with option "Log to file" checked), the encoded file of sent messages (beebeep.dat) and that of unsent messages (beebeep.off).
Inside, there is also the cache folder with all the temporary files.
It can also be used as a resource folder for more customized configurations.
Open the BeeBEEP log to see the search order that is executed to load configuration, translation files and plugins.
You can see what is the data folder in the BeeBEEP menu Main - Open your data folder...

[Back to the questions]

Where does BeeBEEP save local user preferences?

What is the beebeep.ini file?

It is a text file where BeeBEEP stores the local user preferences.
You can also modify it with any text editor but remember to close BeeBEEP before editing this file otherwise all your changes will be lost.
Normally the file should be placed in the data folder.

• See all file options: BEEBEEP-HELP.txt.

[Back to the questions]

What is the beehosts.ini file?

It is in a simple text file to communicate to BeeBEEP which subnets to search for users.
Normally you don't need to create it but in some situations it can be fundamental as for example in VPN connections.

You can get some more information by looking at the template in the BeeBEEP installation folder or on the SourceForge website.
Normally the file should be placed or in the resource folder or in the data folder.

Example

The offices of my division are on two floors and on two different subnets: 10.184.15.0/24 and 10.184.16.0/24 both with a subnet mask 255.255.255.0. I decide to create the beehosts.ini configuration file.
It is a simple text file where I wrote the addresses on which BeeBEEP will broadcast to search users.

File content: beehosts.ini

I put the file in the BeeBEEP resource folder on my and all my colleagues' computers; otherwise I could have sent them the beehosts.ini file to have them put it in their data folder by themselves.

[Back to the questions]

Where is the BeeBEEP log?

You can read the log of the current session by going to the BeeBEEP menu Main - Show the BeeBEEP log....

You can enable the option Log to file if you want to save logs and check them by a text editor. Usually the logs will be saved in the file data folder/beebeep.log.

[Back to the questions]

Why BeeBEEP does not show online users?

This problem occurs mainly for two reasons: the firewall blocks incoming connections or BeeBEEP starts before the network IP address is acquired.
Let's start with the second case which is easier to find.

• Click on the "Search users" icon in the BeeBEEP bar (the third icon from the left).
• If online users are now shown then you can fix the problem by going to the Settings - On start... menu and increasing the delay time for the first connection.

Otherwise you are in the first case.
Open the menu Main and click on Test your network... option.
In the next window, enter the "IP Address" and the "Port" of your colleague (he has to open this window also...) and test each other.
In this way you can know which of the two has the firewall that blocks incoming connections.
To fix the problem you can follow the instructions in the next FAQ.

If the problem was not the firewall then you have to look at the error that occurs in the BeeBEEP log (see previous FAQ).

[Back to the questions]

How can I add BeeBEEP to Windows Firewall exceptions?

Follow the instructions below for your operating system. The program executable is the file beebeep.exe and you can find it in the BeeBEEP install folder (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\BeeBEEP\).

Windows 10

1. Right-click the Windows Start button and select Control Panel.
2. Click Windows Firewall.
3. Click Advanced Settings.
4. Click Inbound Rules, then New Rule.
5. Select Program from the Rule Type window, then click Next.
6. Click Browse below This program path to select the program executable file, then click Next.
7. Ensure Allow the connection is selected, then click Next.
8. Select When to apply the rule (please select all the options if you don't know what are you doing: Domain, Private and Public), then click Next.
9. Enter a Name and optional Description, then click Finish.

Server 2008 / 2012

1. Click Start and select Control Panel.
2. Click Windows Firewall.
3. Click the Exceptions tab.
4. Click Add Program.
5. Select the program you wish to exclude.
6. Click OK.

Windows 8

1. Press the Windows X keys, then select Control Panel.
2. Click System and Security.
3. Click Windows Firewall.
4. Click Allow a program through Windows Firewall to open the Allow programs to communicate through Windows Firewall screen.
5. Click to check mark the box for the program you want.
   • Note: If the program is missing from the Allowed programs and features list, click the Allow another program... button and browse to the directory for the program executable file, then click OK.
6. Click OK to close the Allow programs to communicate through Windows Firewall screen.

Windows 7

1. Click the Windows Orb and select Control Panel.
2. Click System and Security or Windows Firewall.
3. Click Allow a program through Windows Firewall to open the Allow programs to communicate through Windows Firewall screen.
4. Click to check mark the box for the program you want.
   • Note: If the program is missing from the Allowed programs and features: list, click the Allow another program... button and browse to the directory for the program executable file, then click OK.
5. Click OK to close the Allow programs to communicate through Windows Firewall screen.

Windows XP

1. Click Start and select Control Panel.
2. Double-click Windows Firewall to open the Windows Firewall window.
3. Click the Exceptions tab.
4. Click to check mark the box for the program you want.
   • Note: If the program is missing from the Programs and Services: list, click the Add Program... button and browse to the directory for the program executable file, then click OK.
5. Click OK to close the Windows Firewall window.

Windows Vista

1. Click the Windows Orb and select Control Panel.
2. Click Allow a program through Windows Firewall to open the Windows Firewall Settings window.
3. Click the Exceptions tab.
4. Click to check mark the box for the program you want.
   • Note: If the program is missing from the Program or port: list, click the Add program... button and browse to the directory for the program executable file, then click OK.
5. Click OK to close the Windows Firewall Settings window.

[Back to the questions]

Why doesn't BeeBEEP have the chat graphics with "the balloons" like the other messengers?

BeeBEEP has been designed according to some fundamental principles. One of these is usability before beauty. Yes I know, we are often used to the contrary (for example, people tend to buy a shoe that is more beautiful than comfortable).

I used different programs with balloon graphics but, among other things, I found, for example, difficulties in copying multiple messages together. The BeeBEEP message viewer is something more like a web page than a classic messenger. This choice, without a doubt, allows a more professional use of messages in the office environment.

In the future, when the time available allows me, I am sure I can give the user the possibility to choose between usability and better graphics...

[Back to the questions]

Why do the BeeBEEP icons on my screen look grainy or too large?

Unfortunately in some cases the automatic recognition of the screen DPI does not work well.
This often happens when the scale factor is set to a size greater than 100%.
If this problem occurs, don't worry, it is easily solved with these steps:

• Download the qt.conf file from this link.
• Put the file in the same directory where the BeeBEEP executable is.
  You can find beebeep.exe in Windows usually in folder:
  C:\Program Files (x86)\BeeBEEP\
• Restart BeeBEEP.

Reference: Ticket #584 on SourceForge.

[Back to the questions]

How do I use BeeBEEP on a VPN connection?

When you connect to your office network via a VPN, you can continue to use BeeBEEP to exchange messages and files with your colleagues.
To do this you need to add a configuration file inside the BeeBEEP folder and configure your VPN to allow udp traffic on port 36475 and tcp traffic in and out on ports 6475 and 6476.
For more information see the Help - Configuration section.

The beehosts.ini file takes care of telling BeeBEEP which subnets to search for users.
For example, if colleagues in your office have ip addresses like 10.0.0.43, 10.0.0.26, 10.0.0.102, ... just insert the line 10.0.0.255 in the content of the file.
For more information you can read this FAQ.
BeeBEEP, reading this setting, will search for users in the address range 10.0.0.1 to 10.0.0.254.

[Back to the questions]

How can I add a user or subnet?

The easiest way to do this is to go to the menu Options - Users - Add user... and add the IP Address of the user you want to add.

Example: ny computer is on the 192.168.0.255 network and my colleague has an IP address of 192.168.1.56 which is in another subnet.
I open the Add user window and enter its IP address in the field and at the Port, I put the default 6475.
I click Add user and my colleague will automatically be added to the list.
Often, however, IP addresses are not static, and my colleague's could always change within his subnet.
Better to tell BeeBEEP to always search for all the addresses in that subnet. To do this, just put the address 192.168.1.255 in the Add user window and enable the Split Subnet in IP addresses... option before clicking Add user.

[Back to the questions]

How to disable chat with all?

You must create the beebeep.rc configuration file if it does not already exist and disable the option EnableChatWithAllUsers.

Sample file content: beebeep.rc

People will continue to see "Chat with all" but will not be able to send messages (so the channel can still be used by system administrators to send a message to everyone).

[Back to the questions]

How can I see if the message has been read by the recipient?

If you want to know if your message has been read (in theory only displayed) by the recipient, move the arrow with the mouse on his avatar in the chat window and wait for the tooltip to be shown. The tooltip will show the message "User has not read last messages" if the recipient has not yet opened the chat window with you.

[Back to the questions]

Is it possible to setup BeeBEEP in order the students to chat only with me and not between them?

Yes it is.
You must create the beebeep.rc configuration file if it does not already exist.

Sample file content: beebeep.rc

Save and close the file.

With these options you tell BeeBEEP that the user cannot create "private chats" and "group chats" but can only chat with all users (so you can always see when they write).
This file beebeep.rc must be copied to all BeeBEEP installation folders (where the beebeep.exe file is located) where you want these options to be enabled.

You don't need this file, so you can write "privately to a single user" (but they can't reply).
You can also create groups (and cannot edit members) if you want to divide them into teams.

[Back to the questions]

How to use preset messages?

You can create predefined messages that can be recalled with a simple click.
In the chat window, near the icon of the emoticons, there is a letter icon.
A new window with an empty list is showed and you can add all preset messages you want to.
Just right click on the empty list and create new one.

[Back to the questions]

Can I add a person to a group again even after he or she has left it?

Yes, you can. First of all, the user who left has to open the menu option Settings - Chats - Blocked chats... and removes the group from the blocked list. After this operation, he/she can be added again as member.

[Back to the questions]

How to delete an old user from the list?

To delete a user, if you see the delete button disabled it is because that user is still in some group. In the current version, you must first remove inactive users from groups so that the delete button is activated from their vcard (right-click on the user name).

[Back to the questions]

Can encryption be disabled?

Some time ago I would have told you no, but from version 5.7.5, yes it is possible and below I'll explain you why I made this decision.
To disable encryption you need to enable some options in the beebeep.rc file and you're done.

Sample file content: beebeep.rc

The "DisableEncryptedConnections" option tells BeeBEEP to try to contact the other BeeBEEPs on the network without using encryption.
The next two options give you the choice to accept encrypted connections or not. Combining these 3 options can create different situations.
First of all, choose your connection type. If you want to disable the encryption, put "true" to "DisableEncryptedConnections" otherwise "false".
At this point you can use the other two options to tell BeeBEEP how to deal with incoming connections. You will decide whether to accept those that are not encrypted in an encrypted environment or vice versa.

Please note that even if you have disabled encryption, the initial connection will be encrypted.
During this phase the two BeeBEEPs exchange a recognition key (of the type "hey, I am also a BeeBEEP"), the type of content that will pass into the communication channel that is being created (messages or file transfer) and if the data must be encrypted or not.
At the end of this negotiation, if the two BeeBEEPs have agreed to an unencrypted communication, the encryption will be disabled on that channel. If they do not agree, the channel is closed with a warning message (see the BeeBEEP log).

If you are talking to a user who does not use encryption you will find the message:
[User Name] has end-to-end encryption disabled.

If you want your BeeBEEP to use encryption by default but can also accept unencrypted incoming connections then the options must have these values.

Why did I decide to add an option to disable encryption?

Here is a part of the e-mail sent to me by Den Spiess (W2DEN), an Assistant Emergency Coordinator of Sarasota Amateur Emergency Radio Service (SRQ ARES), to explain the problem.

[Back to the questions]

Why is a security message shown when you launch BeeBEEP for the first time?

BeeBEEP is not a digitally signed application and operating systems like Windows or MacOSX warn users against using software without a digital signature.
I fully understand their reasons but a digital certificate has a cost per year and you need one for Microsoft and one for Apple. BeeBEEP is a free software and I wouldn't even have to pay to distribute it.
So, be careful and download BeeBEEP from trusted sites.
For the rest, I'm sure you will understand my point of view and you won't mind doing one or two more clicks to launch BeeBEEP the first time.

[Back to the questions]

Why is the BeeBEEP executable file 20 MB larger in the new versions?

Since beta version 5.8.3-1452, the BeeBEEP executable file also includes all the emoticons in high definition and this has significantly increased the file size.

Is there a way to make external drives/files accessible in Linux?

This problem could only happen if BeeBEEP is installed with the snap system on Linux.
Answers Oliver Grawert, the maintainer of the BeeBEEP snap package:
To allow snaps access to removable devices, the snap packager needs to permit access to the "removable-media" snap plug in the package definition and the user needs to run:

I have added that plug to the latest build in the edge channel, with the command:

You can switch your local installs to this version to test it.
Once you are done testing I can release the snap to the stable channel and you can switch your devices back to that channel with:

Connecting this plug will allow access to everything under /media and /mnt which should cover the default locations for most external disks.

What is SourceForge?

SourceForge is a web-based service that offers software developers a centralized online location to control and manage free and open-source software projects.
You find more information about it on this page.

[Back to the questions]

Does BeeBEEP send data outside my network?

All BeeBEEP traffic such as text and voice messages, transferred files and desktop sharing always remains in your network.
If you do not have VPNs configured, BeeBEEP packages will never get out of the modem-router of your ISP (internet service provider).
If you have VPNs and have configured BeeBEEP to use them, then the traffic will also pass through these networks, overcoming the physical limits of your internet line.

Apart from this, BeeBEEP tries 2 connections in HTTPS every time it is launched (and if always active, 1 every 24 hours).
The first connection is to the BeeBEEP web site (https://www.beebeep.net/last_version.php) and serves to check if there is a new version available.
The second to Google Analytics for anonymous sending of usage statistics (I'll explain better in the next FAQ that there is nothing to worry about).
These connections will always appear in plain text in the BeeBEEP log so you can always monitor them.
You can disable the search for a new version available from the menu Settings - On start - Check for new version.

[Back to the questions]

What does the "Posting anonymous data to BeeBEEP statistics" log line mean?

Once a day BeeBEEP sends a string (event) to google analatycs to give me the satisfaction of seeing how many people use the application I created and which I distribute for free.
The data are not sensitive and ip addresses are not tracked.
Probably in a "world wild web" where everyone "wants your data", it's a good idea for me to explain the contents of the string to convince you of the goodness of my intentions.

Data contained in an example string:

What do the string fields say?

• v=1 = it is the protocol version of data string
• tid=UA-57878696-4 = is the code that identifies the site www.beebeep.net
• cid=%7B59b1d47b-d5d0-47bd-8552-848e9d3d09ae%7D = is the ID of your BeeBEEP, a random and unique string to avoid data duplication (I would like statistics as real as possible)
• aip = 1 = option to anonymize your IP address (1 = true).
• ds = app = resource type (app = application).
• an = beebeep = application name.
• av = 5.6.8 = applicaction version.
• ul = en_us = language used in application.
• t = event = string type (always event).
• ec = BeeBEEP = event campaign.
• ea = usage = event type (always usage).
• el = windows-5.6.8 = event label (BeeBEEP version and operating system).
• ev = 573 = event value (the number of days since the BeeBEEP configuration file was created. Useful to understand more or less how long you use BeeBEEP).

I hope there is nothing in this data that can damage your privacy and guarantee total anonymity.
But in life everything can be and maybe you don't want to trust Google Analytics assurances regarding anonymity and so I left the option to disable this communication.
If you want more information please read the article about IP Anonymization in Analytics.

• Close BeeBEEP (you can edit settings only if the application is closed).
• Open with a text editor the beebeep.ini settings file in your data folder.
• Find the option SendAnonymousUsageStatistics and set it to false.
• Save and close beebeep.ini settings file.
• Restart BeeBEEP.

I hope you never need these instructions.
If somehow you're thinking that, despite my good intentions, actually anonymous sending of these data creates some legal problem in your country please let me know via e-mail. In this way I will be able to create, in the next versions, special rules that do not conflict with the laws of your country.

Just a final but important consideration.

I develop BeeBEEP in my spare time. I do not gain anything to do it, indeed, despite the kind donations, I lose money every year. I enjoy writing code and the greatest satisfaction is when I open the statistics in the evening and see how many people have used BeeBEEP.
I'm seeing that number grow every day, from 2 (in 2010) to over 200,000 (in 2020) and even more today.
This is the engine that drives me to improve BeeBEEP every day: your statistical contribution is the fuel that powers it.

[Back to the questions]

Why is the "Ask for help" option disabled?

In your network you must enable at least one BeeBEEP as a workstation to receive requests for help.
Read the next FAQ to see how it works.

[Back to the questions]

How to use the USB buttons for emergencies or for help requests with BeeBEEP?

Since beta version 5.8.5-1498, BeeBEEP includes support for emergency buttons and call for help.
Two steps are required to enable this feature.

• Decide which stations with BeeBEEP should receive and accept requests for help.
  In these installations an option will be added in the beebeep.rc file:
  
  
  [BeeBEEP]
  EnableReceivingHelpMessages=true
  
  If the option is loaded correctly, upon restart BeeBEEP will show a little red icon in the top panel. If you don't know how create the beebeep.rc file, please read this FAQ.
• Check the option Use custom shortcut in the menu Settings - Interface - Shortcuts.
  By default, the key combination for the help request is Ctrl + Shift + 1.
  This ket combination must be the same as the one sent by the panic button connected to the computer where BeeBEEP is running.

[Back to the questions]