NovaAesa
January 5th, 2008, 08:09 AM
NovaAesa's Jabber Guide
Reasons to use Jabber
1) Jabber is based on the open protocol XMPP (eXtensible Messaging and Presense Protocol). Open protocols are always good in my eyes. As GNU/Linux users we should be supporting open protocols.
2) The Jabber network can't be 'down' like other instant messaging networks. I'll get to the reason behind this a bit later.
3) You can still connect to existing contacts that use non-jabber protocols (such as MSN and AIM) without having to use a multi-protocol application. So compatibility isn't an issue.
How Jabber works
Jabber works in much the same way that email works. There are hundreds of Jabber servers through which a client programme can connect. Each person who uses Jabber has their own account with one of many Jabber services. When a message is sent, the message goes from that persons computer to their nominated Jabber server. This server then sends the message to the recipient's nominated Jabber server. Assuming that permissions are correct ie. the second person hasn't blocked the first person, the message will be sent from the second server to the recipient. This is the reason that the Jabber 'network' is never down. Everyone is using different servers, so if one server goes down then only the contacts connecting to that certain server can't connect. This is better than say the situation with MSN where if the server goes down then nobody can connect.
Picking a Client
There are many different Jabber clients out there available for use. Two of the main single protocol clients available are Gajim and Psi. If you use GNOME, Gajim runs well because it uses the GTK+ toolkit. I've used both Psi and Gajim and would recommend the latter.
Setting Up an Account
Before you set up an account, you have to decide which server you want to use. It's probably a good idea to choose a server that is geographically close to you. For example, I used jabber.org.au because the server is located in Australia. A list of Jabber servers can be found here: http://www.jabber.org/user/publicservers.shtml. There are two different ways to register for the service.
1) You must go to their website and sign up for an account there.
2) Use a Jabber client and simply sign in using the desired account name.
Different servers use different methods, so just give one a try!
Connecting to MSN/ICQ/AIM/etc contacts
Many of the complaints I have heard about Jabber (from both GNU/Linux and non-GNU/Linux users) are based on the idea that no one else uses Jabber. Many of my non-Linux friends prefer to use MSN because everyone else is using it. However, there is a way of using Jabber to connect to these contacts albeit indirectly. This is done through a 'transport' service, also known as a 'gateway'. Some servers will support these but others won't. The following instructions are for using Gajim, but a similar method can be used for using Psi (although the names may change slightly).
1) Once you have logged into your jabber account, click on Actions -> Discover Services.
2) Type in the address of the server you have your account with and click Go. For example my server is jabber.org.au, which will result in finding a transport for ICQ and one for Yahoo!.
3) If you don't find the transport services you want, try looking under another jabber server. I really wanted an MSN transport because most of my contacts use MSN, so I looked under other servers. I eventually found that jabber.meta.net.nz had an MSN transport.
4) Once you find the service you want, highlight it and click Register. You will then have to enter information about that service, such as the address you have for that service (in my case novaaesa<at>hotmail<dot>com) and a password.
5) A new entry under Transports should now appear in your Gajim main page. Contacts using the protocol you connected to using the transport will also appear on the main page.
Closing
So now people out there really have no excuse not to be using Jabber rather than any nasty propietary IM services. As a community that embrases free software, we should really all be using Jabber for our IM needs!
BTW if you're new to Jabber and are looking for someone to chat to I'm online most of the time. My JID (Jabber ID) is novaaesa@jabber.org.au
Reasons to use Jabber
1) Jabber is based on the open protocol XMPP (eXtensible Messaging and Presense Protocol). Open protocols are always good in my eyes. As GNU/Linux users we should be supporting open protocols.
2) The Jabber network can't be 'down' like other instant messaging networks. I'll get to the reason behind this a bit later.
3) You can still connect to existing contacts that use non-jabber protocols (such as MSN and AIM) without having to use a multi-protocol application. So compatibility isn't an issue.
How Jabber works
Jabber works in much the same way that email works. There are hundreds of Jabber servers through which a client programme can connect. Each person who uses Jabber has their own account with one of many Jabber services. When a message is sent, the message goes from that persons computer to their nominated Jabber server. This server then sends the message to the recipient's nominated Jabber server. Assuming that permissions are correct ie. the second person hasn't blocked the first person, the message will be sent from the second server to the recipient. This is the reason that the Jabber 'network' is never down. Everyone is using different servers, so if one server goes down then only the contacts connecting to that certain server can't connect. This is better than say the situation with MSN where if the server goes down then nobody can connect.
Picking a Client
There are many different Jabber clients out there available for use. Two of the main single protocol clients available are Gajim and Psi. If you use GNOME, Gajim runs well because it uses the GTK+ toolkit. I've used both Psi and Gajim and would recommend the latter.
Setting Up an Account
Before you set up an account, you have to decide which server you want to use. It's probably a good idea to choose a server that is geographically close to you. For example, I used jabber.org.au because the server is located in Australia. A list of Jabber servers can be found here: http://www.jabber.org/user/publicservers.shtml. There are two different ways to register for the service.
1) You must go to their website and sign up for an account there.
2) Use a Jabber client and simply sign in using the desired account name.
Different servers use different methods, so just give one a try!
Connecting to MSN/ICQ/AIM/etc contacts
Many of the complaints I have heard about Jabber (from both GNU/Linux and non-GNU/Linux users) are based on the idea that no one else uses Jabber. Many of my non-Linux friends prefer to use MSN because everyone else is using it. However, there is a way of using Jabber to connect to these contacts albeit indirectly. This is done through a 'transport' service, also known as a 'gateway'. Some servers will support these but others won't. The following instructions are for using Gajim, but a similar method can be used for using Psi (although the names may change slightly).
1) Once you have logged into your jabber account, click on Actions -> Discover Services.
2) Type in the address of the server you have your account with and click Go. For example my server is jabber.org.au, which will result in finding a transport for ICQ and one for Yahoo!.
3) If you don't find the transport services you want, try looking under another jabber server. I really wanted an MSN transport because most of my contacts use MSN, so I looked under other servers. I eventually found that jabber.meta.net.nz had an MSN transport.
4) Once you find the service you want, highlight it and click Register. You will then have to enter information about that service, such as the address you have for that service (in my case novaaesa<at>hotmail<dot>com) and a password.
5) A new entry under Transports should now appear in your Gajim main page. Contacts using the protocol you connected to using the transport will also appear on the main page.
Closing
So now people out there really have no excuse not to be using Jabber rather than any nasty propietary IM services. As a community that embrases free software, we should really all be using Jabber for our IM needs!
BTW if you're new to Jabber and are looking for someone to chat to I'm online most of the time. My JID (Jabber ID) is novaaesa@jabber.org.au