Nowadays jabber [1] seems to have all keys in hands to be one of the best IM, instant messaging system, also approved by IETF.
If you try to use it everyday as a reliable IM system forget it quickly: you will be unable to use it when you really need, you have choice between overloaded servers or dead servers (churchyard here [2] , not it is not a joke).
You will not see your friend online, message will be lost. An amazing thing is to be away and no one could see you. And messages sent to you disappear ... it is very surprising to see friend in the street asking to you if you are dead because since you have jabber their are no longer able to see you on the Internet.
Concerning clients I have tried many available [3] (more than 20, 2 day each minimum). Every time it is the same thing, unable to connect with one, success with another. A friend offline with one become online with another and IM stamped from 2 months began to reach me. If you try to use some extra feature (jabber user directory, conferences ...) forget it, even if every one has the same client.
Concerning servers I have switched four times, I think it's enough. Unable to connect, unable to read, disconnected, etc are daily response.
I have also tried to deploy my own jabber server (thinking that an heavy load was the source of many problems) [4] on a LAN, 40 users on average using a local jabber server. It was catastrophic, yes but less than using a public server. Even if I have tried 5-6 servers (1 week each) it was unbelievable how everything was buggy. My 40 users have many different clients, with many different bugs. I can't see you, but look I'm online and I have authorized you, we are in conference but I can't send you a message, what happens ? Other messages like unable to read, to connect etc where encountered every day, every times. I have registered an account but I'm unable to log in.
I have filled many bug reports, many seem to be currently unresolved but marked resolved. I have contacted many developers (trilian [5] and gaim [6] particularly), each saying that their client are compliant with standards, my server could be bugged or non standard.
My friends trying to use jabber (we are in a computer school, EPITA, ...) have similar bugs, sometime more or less often. Gateway system to ICQ or yahoo seems being also bugged.
SO PLEASE, stop to say that jabber is a working solution and don't encourage your friends to use it. IT IS NOT. DON'T use it currently because it is not reliable and it could not be considered as an IM solution. Yes it has bug like another programs, but please IM has to be a reliable way to communicate and there is no place for buggy software.
Yes, as I know, there is no other 'free' implementation of a free IM protocols but finally as an end user I want something working and reliable. The best solution is currently for me to use ICQ [7] or yahoo messenger [8], or even MSN [9] if you want to chat with interesting people not necessary geek male ;), with a 'free' IM client. Yes they could close services, yes they could read my IM, but it works.
So use ICQ, yahoo or what you want and stop saying jabber is working. Jabber could (will, must) be a (THE) solution in the future but it has to be heavily debugged before. You will be able to log in and to send IM without losing it.
If you are a Jabber fan, addict or something else please see the reality in front: why jabber has no many users ? Why only technical guru (could) use it, and only for few time ?
Sylvain
N.B: I have tried jabber from 06/2002 to 08/2004. Maybe it's now better, but recent (12/2004) feelings with unaware friend (many os, many clients, and many servers) have enforced my impression, showing me that it is not an isolated problem as few developers are trying to say.
Last updated $Date: 2004/12/02 11:13:49 $ Sylvain