RyghSMS started as a mini-project in 2008. I had a setup where SMS from my phone was forwarded to an online solution where I could read them online. Very practical sitting in meetings – not wanting to grab your phone every time it got messages. Within this framework have I included the option to send outgoing SMS from my own number via an API provided by Telenor. It was within this I added the option to forward the text if the combination of the sender and the start of the messages was a specific code. Adding users took a lot of time as all user management was hard-coded. Each user was a lot of new lines and an “ElseIF” in the ASP 3.0 code. All this was replaced with a database that is used when adding new users and the process each time a messages is processed by RyghSMS.
The key in the solution is a service provided by NetCom named SMSpluss. It gives you the opportunity to receive an email copy of each sms received to your mobile number. In the start I forwarded this number to a “publish to my blog” email address at blogger.com. I used the blogger service option to ftp the new blog posts to my ftp-server – and used an xml-parser (self written) to import the new messages to the database. After some reposting issues, because blogger changed the timestamp or the ID of the messages, made me drop this extra layer of the solution. A script written in PHP imports the messages directly over IMAP into the database making them reading for posting to twitter.
I have developed several filters to ensure that double posting or infinite loops will not happen. The scripts checks if the new message is identical to an old message from the user in the database, and it checks if the message is identical to one of the last 20 messages posted by the user to twitter. I have also developed a way to pull direct messages received on twitter, and forward them as SMS to end-users. This is what I call a “pro-service” – as you’ll need to pay yourself for the messages you receive. I have not tried to push this solution to anybody – so the only users of it is me and some dedicated twitter-friends :-)
So what is next for RyghSMS? I have a list of features I would like to develop. It includes (but not limited to) OAuth, some smart filters for direct messages (DMs), web GUI for users to change their settings and a way for people to buy credits for any pro-services I add. But I see a trend, and the trend is that people use less SMS for updating twitter. More and more people having smart phones like the iPhone are taking away traffic for RyghSMS. I also see that I receive less-and-less DMs. I am not sure why DMs is reduced, but I guess the fact that people don’t know that they are forwarded as SMS anymore (it was a free service from twitter in the start) has made people using the feature differently). The additional features I can develop to enhance RyghSMS is limited – and as the use of it reduced the value of add-ons are VERY limited. So it will be as with many of my other web projects – developed when I need to break from my current day-job to do some good old fashion programming.
And by-the-way... This blog-post as of now is replacing the ryghsms webpage. Any ideas, comments etc can be posted here - or to @rygh.
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