Jabber

Jabber is a set protocols for messaging between two clients on the Internet. It's main use is as a Instant Messaging protocol. The messaging protocol is open/free and a proposed IETF standard (called XMPP). The protocol uses XML as the data format.

Features
The Jabber protocol provides the following features:
 * Basic Instant Messaging (IM) functionality
 * Group chats
 * Messages and chats
 * Messages to offline users
 * File transfers
 * Interfaces to legacy and common IM protocols: ICQ, AIM, Yahoo, MSN, ...
 * Multiple servers, which may or may not be connected. This makes private servers possible.
 * Pure Open Source XML based prototype.

Jabber servers
A Jabber server allows jabber clients to connect, find and message each other. But some jabber servers also act as gateways to other IM protocols like ICQ, MSN, Yahoo and many more.

Server implementations

 * Jabberd -- the open source server developed by the jabber project.

Jabber clients

 * Cabber -- Console based
 * centericq -- Multi protocol, including jabber
 * Gabber -- GTK based
 * Gaim -- Multi-protocol, includes jabber
 * Kopete -- Multi-protocol, includes jabber
 * MCabber -- Jabber console client (using Ncurses)

= External links =
 * Project homepage
 * Jabber user guide