Next iChat version to include Jabber support

SeaFox writes "A couple of stories about new features in the next version of Mac OS X have revealed that the new iChat 3.0 will include support for Jabber. With businesses able to host their own messaging servers behind the firewall and use it with Apple's included IM client, will this effect Jabber's overall share of the IM market?"

Comments

Makes sense...

[rgraham]

Seeing has how the next version of Server is going to have a built-in Jabber/iChat/XMPP server (scroll down to the "Your Very Own iChat and Blog Servers" section).

Re:What we really need

[leonmergen]

GAIM ?

http://gaim.sourceforge.net/

ah yes well

[Ravagin]

will this effect Jabber's overall share of the IM market?

more importantly, will it a ffect Jabber's overall share of the IM market?

Jabber server as well

[daveschroeder]

Mac OS X Server 10.4 (Tiger Server) will also include an iChat/Jabber server.

For those unaware, iChat has always used the Jabber protocols for its local (Rendezvous-initiated) messaging. This just dusts off and reveals full-fledged support for Jabber.

Why Jabber? Because Jabber is a completely open IM standard. The IETF has accepted the core Jabber protocols and has standardized them as XMPP, an open IM protocol.

Re:Jabber server as well

[Seanasy]

We must applaud that Apple is using open standards for their own good? What's in it for us?

Interopability. Future-proofing. Apple's contributions to the standard. Are you saying companies shouldn't be applauded for using standards? I'll applaud every time a company chooses an open standard over a proprietary model.

More like the other way around - their contributions (while very welcome) are few and far between.

As far as I can tell, they've given back every time they've taken. That's more than I can say for myself.

iCal (open file format)

But not open itself.

Safari (built on Open Source code)

But itself totally proprietary, except for WebCore, which is currently primarily usable for cocoa (e.g. proprietary) developers.

So the apps are closed? OK, they're not totally 'Free.' Granted. But the ical format is open. You can write a better iCal and not have to do a damn thing to get the data in. Webcore can be used by open-source developers as well as proprietary developers. It's based on khtml (from KDE). They've given back. WebCore is Open (LGPL).

iTunes protocol and code is proprietary.

iTunes protocol? Do you mean DAAP? Yes the app is closed but the tools are there to re-implement as you see fit. Even the iTunes Library is accessible as XML.

OS X uses and relies on proprietary drivers (Broadcom, are you listening?).

So go ahead write your own drivers.

iChat primarily uses AIM instead of Jabber.

Did you miss what this post was about?

Re:What we really need

[quigonn]

gaim does what you want:
- it's cross-plattform (Windows, OSX, Linux)
- it supports server hosted friends list
- it starts up quickly
- it supports a lot of different protocols
- it's free as in speech

I, for one, run ICQ, Jabber and MSN with gaim, and had no problems with it so far.

jabber

[minus_273]

i chat already uses jabber in the local im feature using rendezevous (sp?). that also removes the need for a central server since it uses rendezevous for discovery of other hosts.

This was annouced at WWDC 2004...

[Xenex]

And is mentioned on the Mac OS X Server 10.4 Tiger Preview page:

New Services

iChat Server. Host your own private and secure inside-the-firewall iChat server that uses your own namespace and works with both Tiger's iChat AV and popular Jabber clients available on Windows, Linux and PDAs.

Additionally:

Your Very Own iChat and Blog Servers

You can now host your own iChat server. Instant Messaging serves as a vital means of communication for organizations of all sizes, so it's useful to deploy and run your own private and secure IM server. Based on the open source Jabber project, the new iChat server in Tiger Server lets your company protect its internal communications by defining its own namespace, and use SSL/TLS encryption to ensure privacy. The iChat server works with both the iChat client in Mac OS X Tiger and popular open source clients available for Windows, Linux and even PDAs.

So, yes, we've known since WWDC that iChat will be able to speak to standard Jabber servers, mostly because Apple will be shipping a Jabber server with Tiger Server.

There's a lot of cool stuff in Tiger Server, and that page is with checking out.

Connectivity to other IM services, too

[daveschroeder]

I forgot one of the neat things about the Jabber server:

While an open IM application can be useful in a defined group or organization for messaging, obviously, a standalone IM application is of limited utility on its own if you're already communicating with people on other IM networks.

This is why Jabber supports "transports", server components that allow seamless connectivity with AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, MSN, SMS services, and even IRC..

Re:Are you kidding me ?

[mitchell_pgh]

While Apple and the Mac desktop account for a rather small percentage of desktop users, I firmly believe that Apple has a way of promoting technologies LONG before they become popular. They went all USB years ahead of many of the other manufacturers (in fact, some are still catching up).

Apple has a way of moving technologies from the geek realm to the "average joe" realm in a very short period of time. I would also suggest that you applaud Apple for using yet another standard vs. creating their own in house brand or simply succumbing to the power of Redmond.

Yes.

[Xenex]

iChat AV 2.1 can videoconference with AOL Instant Messenger 5.5.

mmm, Open goodness

[gobbo]

Apple continues to incorporate open software and strike that fine balance between the usefully proprietary (hardware, GUI) and interoperable standards. The MS dweebs that run the IT where I work keep frowning and scratching their heads when I explain that this or that new Apple implementations of free (beer/speech) software (zeroconf, LDAP, Apache, SSH, etc.) makes their lives easier and more secure. This just helps my arguments.

Nice thing about Jabber is that it's decentralized and has so much room to be elaborated into some nifty applications that go way beyond text messaging. I was annoyed at Apple for nailing iChat so firmly to AIM, and now it looks like they're fulfilling some of the promise behind having a default chat client that isn't tied to an Apple network.

Re:Are you kidding me ?

[ratsnapple tea]

USB? IEEE 1394? 802.11? Touchpads on laptops? Quiet computing?

Except that...

[Xenex]

It's been on Apple's website since WWDC 2004.

No Effect

[shking]

"...will this effect Jabber's overall share of the IM market?"

Since Jabber already has market share, this move by Apple will not Effect (verb: to create) a share for Jabber. However, including Jabber in iChat may Affect (verb: to influence) the market that already exists.

OTOH - The Effect (noun: influence) of the ignorant substitution of inappropriate words Affects (verb: to influence) your ability to write clearly. Learn to the difference between english vowels, or you'll be condemned to confuse a cat with a cot (or Al with an eel)

Re:Maybe Apple can make the damn thing configurabl

[Anonymous Coward]

Have you tried http://www.jabberdoc.org/?

Re:What we really need

[AndyElf]

While GAIM might have a very good coverage, as far as IM networks are concerned, I can't say that I enjoy running it in the situations when I have to -- e.g. when I am on my BSD box.

When it comes to MacOS X, there are several worthy contenders: Fire, Adium to name a few. All of them are Cocoa apps and you do not need to run X11 to use them.

Re:Old news...

[brass1]

Actually they did. Apple, howerver, choose to be subtle about it. Here. And I quote:

iChat Server. Host your own private and secure inside-the-firewall iChat server that uses your own namespace and works with both Tiger's iChat AV and popular Jabber clients available on Windows, Linux and PDAs.
and:
Your Very Own iChat and Blog Servers
You can now host your own iChat server. Instant Messaging serves as a vital means of communication for organizations of all sizes, so it's useful to deploy and run your own private and secure IM server. Based on the open source Jabber project, the new iChat server in Tiger Server lets your company protect its internal communications by defining its own namespace, and use SSL/TLS encryption to ensure privacy. The iChat server works with both the iChat client in Mac OS X Tiger and popular open source clients available for Windows, Linux and even PDAs.

This isn't a secret, and you don't have to be an "Apple Insider" to know about it, you just have to (carefully) read the language on their own website.

If you're really geeky...

[numbski]

CenterICQ

- Cross Platform
- It supports server hosted friends list
- Starts up quickly
- Supports AIM, MSN, ICQ, YIM, Jabber, RSS, Gadu-Gadu, IRC, and LiveJournal
- It's free as in speech (GNU)

AND

It can be put into a screen on a server, you can detach, then simply ssh into the server from a different location and reconnect to your screen as though you never left. I do this all the time. ;) I have connections to all the major services, a slashdot RSS, and any other RSS feeds I find interesting on our shell server at our data center, and it never skips a beat.

FYI, if this interests you, contact me for a shell account. ;)