LANMessage 2.0

LANMessage is a very simple messaging application for the Mac. It allows you to send messages to any Mac on your home network that is running the application.

To access the graphical user interface, you need to open the Preferences window from the menubar. Here, you will see a list of all the Macs that are running the application on your network. You can set a group name and a port on all the computers to join a specific group. By default, the application uses the group name "Home" on port 9090. At the bottom of the screen is a small field where you can type the message that you want to broadcast. When you do that, a transparent, floating window with your message will appear both on your computer and the computer to which you are sending the message. It will be displayed only for a few seconds. If another user wants to reply, they will have to do it from the Preferences window as well. There is no way to reply quickly.

In short, LANMessage is a simple way to send messages across your network. The application is a bit old and there are better ways to send messages, especially these days, when everyone is probably connected to an instant messenger all day.