Chatting isn't very practical, in the game. I'd like two useful features to be added to make it a bit better:
1) Tou can't chat in stations. Pity, can't we quietly discuss an issue over a nice cup of (insert favorite cafeinated drink here) without having our asses blasted off by some AI or player?
2) There's no indicator that another player is currently involved in non-destructive social interaction. Q3 already adressed the issue by adding an icon to a player who's in the console/talking. Vendetta could do as good, no?

silly n00b. hit the "`" key (tilda i think) to bring up the consol. this can be done in the station

ok, my bad.
But the second point stays true . . .

2) talk in the station! tilde key is located right below the esc key and above the tab key, see below for you QWERTY keyboard users.

esc___F1_F2
_`__1___2___3
tab___Q___W

See, right there to the left

what if you don't have the time to get to the station? Or any
sort of reason which leaves you in the middle of a raging space
battle with the nearest shelter kilometers away?

Then you boost off for a bit and take your chances, but keep it brief.

AceJohnny boosts away in his rickety bus, pursued by a host of missiles and some angered players.
<AceJohnny> Wait guys! you don't understand! I just...

ctishman killed AceJohnny with swarm missiles

<AceJohnny> well... back to trading.

Turbo...swarms are extremely slow so turbo away before you talk.

Don't chat in a bus, grab your self a nice light with heavy engine, battery and type /+turbo this activates turbo then start chatting!

It would be useful to add a chat room that only players in the station can monitor. There you could buy/sell equipment, possibly ships? That will have more meaning once specialized ships come out.

I was wondering if their was a list of the console commands you can use somewhere? Or at least the pratical ones, like /+turbo, /ping, etc..

http://d192-141.uoregon.edu/vccr.html

you wana talk, you dock
you wana die, you come outside
simple

chewy you forgot a couple :D

you wanna die alot: make fun of vets
you wanna be left alone: play another game :D "lol"
you wanna trade : team up, and let some of your teammates divert the pirates ;)
you wanna commit suicide: talk and fly at the same time, I'm sure you will hit an asteroid :D

cheers

Feh. You wanna commit suicide, you bind /explode to \. I dare you to try and dock really hastily when you've got an ace shooting at you and that binded... :P

These are all good suggestions, but I think Greenwall's is by far the best.

=)

THIS WAS FROM TWO THOUSAND AND FUCKING THREE

Yeah, Greenwall just resurrected the oldest thread on the forums like he said he would on IRC. Good thing we don't have moderators who punish people for being a jackass here.