NetKitty Issues

As of 5/5/2012:

Issues with NetKitty

NetKitty is far from bullet-proof, in fact it could use quite a bit of further development:

1. Neither the NetKitty sender nor listener is executable (.exe). Having the NetKitty components as executable would allow for very simple use without the need for running them from command line or from a Java compiler.
2. NetKitty currently is only a simple file-transfer program. Only the -l and -p options are built into the listener / sender. If NetKitty had all the features of the standard Netcat program, it would be highly beneficial and very easy to use.
3. NetKitty is currently only compatible on Windows platforms. It has only been tested on Windows XP and Windows 7. It would be nice to have compatibility on Unix-based systems as well.
4. All NetKitty files must be in the same directory, and the user must be in the directory on command line to run it.
5. There is no error checking for the correct syntax of an IP address, or for correct port range.
6. As NetKitty uses Netcat, files transferred are unencrypted and could be seen by anyone monitoring the network.
7. Netcat (nc.exe) cannot be invoked from the Java code, and is only invoked from the provided batch files.
8. Once “Listen” or “Send” is pressed, a second command line window appears (this is the instance of Netcat), and must not quit prior to successful file transfer.
9. When quitting NetKitty (whether via the X or File->Quit), ALL instances of nc.exe and cmd.exe are also killed (including the one used to run the program).
10. Even after successful file transfer, the port stays open unless “Kill the Cat” is selected.