@@ -6,17 +6,27 @@ template = "doc.html"
66category = "arvo"
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9−**Chat** is a suite of applications that handle "instant messaging"-style communication between ships.
9+**Chat** is a suite of [Gall](../gall) applications that handle "instant
10+messaging"-style communication between [ships](../ship).
1011
11−A chat is a named collection of messages created by and hosted in a ship's chat-store, usually represented as `~ship-name/circle-name`. Most of Chat revolves around doing things with these chats.
12+A chat is a named collection of messages created by and hosted in a ship's
13+`chat-store`. Most of Chat revolves around doing things with these chats.
1214
13−Chats are subscribed to by some number of ships which are permitted to post and retrieve messages from the chat.
15+Chats are subscribed to by some number of ships which are permitted to post and
16+retrieve messages from the chat.
1417
15−There are two "kinds" of chats, that use different permission modes:
18+There are two "kinds" of chats:
1619
17− * A `channel` is a chat that is publicly readable and writable, with a blacklist for blocking.
18− * A `village` is an invite-only chat.
20+ * A `channel` is a chat that exists as part of a group that is readable and writable by
21+ members of the group. Messages are sent to the chat's host ship, and the host
22+ ship distributes those messages to members of the chat. Therefore, if you
23+ plan to host a chat, you should ensure that your ship has high uptime.
24+ * A `DM` is a direct message from one ship to another, visible to no other
25+ ship, and not part of a group. Messages may be sent while offline, but the
26+ other party will not receive them until both ships are online simultaneously.
1927
2028### Further Reading
2129
22−- [Messaging guide](@/using/operations/using-your-ship.md#messaging): A guide to using Chat from the command line.
30+- [Landscape](../landscape) includes a web interface for using Chat.
31+- [Messaging guide](@/using/operations/using-your-ship.md#messaging): A guide to
32+ using Chat from the command line.