see WebIM for WebApp variety

The most widely used Instant Messaging software is AIM (AOL Instant Messenger). Microsoft's package is gaining steam. AOL's ICQ is #3, I believe.

JabBer is a pretty cool Open Source project for IM, but has various problems which, I think, stand in the way of its widespread adoption for now.

But it is stupid that we still have non-interoperating IM systems. It's like the pre-Internet-integration day of online service islands, where you couldn't send EMail between services. Hopefully consumers will start to vote with their attention (I'm not going to use your app/service if I can't talk to my buddy).

I think the IETF should think of the closed IM systems as though they are pre-internet corporate email systems and online services (remember when you couldn't email from [Compu Serve] to an AOL user?!?). Then design an IM gateway protocol that is open (equivalent to SMTP/POP). And leave it up to the closed vendors to figure out how to interoperate. Without a reasonable set of interop rules, it's hard to put public pressure on the closed systems.

JabBer is trying to talk AOL into partnering with them on interop .

The maybe-more-constructive question is: why were closed online services eventually willing to put in place EMail gateways, yet are unwilling to do so now for IM?

• the new managers are bigger assholes than the old ones

• they need the revenue from the ads in the client app

• they need to maintain the "user lock-in" story for Wall Street.

• ????

Hmm, let's rephrase again... if we assume that there's some logic to the current non-interop behavior, then why did they implement EMail interop?

• Peter Kaminski may have a good theory: when EMail became a significant interface between people and the whole/outside/business world, instead of just an "online community" channel, they needed/demanded universal interop.

• Edward Vielmetti notes:

  • For e-mail the problem of building a gateway was a technical one, not necessarily a political one. A few guys at Ohio State built the Compuserve to Internet gateway and ran it from the [CIS] department there until it became clear that Compuserve should take it in-house. Customer demand came only after the service was already up and running. (What about AOL?)

  • For IM the bigger problem is a standard interface to directories and Presence Detection servers (telling you who is online), not just details of how to get a particular message from here to there.

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