[JDEV] Slashdot Article

[Julian Fitzell]

Julian Missig wrote:
> Julian Fitzell wrote:

[...]

>> Well, I see their point to some degree.  If you switch to linux from 
>> windows, you can't run all the same programs as you could before but 
>> you can find alternatives and conversion programs, etc.  The point of 
>> instant messaging is to be able to communicate in real-time with your 
>> friends.  From people who see Jabber as simply an instant messenger 
>> (or even those who see it first and foremost as an instant messenger), 
>> you can't justify switching to Jabber without still being able to talk 
>> to your friends - Jabber would be fundamentally failing at the task of 
>> instant messaging since you would no longer be able to talk to any of 
>> your friends.
>>
>> Add to that the fact that Jabber provides transports for the other 
>> systems and you can understand why people see it as a sometimes-flaky 
>> attempt to unite all the IM platforms.
>>
>> That said, obviously those of us who have switched to Jabber (and have 
>> evntually switched as many of our friends as possible) see that there 
>> are other advantages.  But that is lost on someone who just needs to 
>> be able to talk to the 100 people they have on their Yahoo roster, or 
>> whatever.
> 
> 
> Except that I could find you quite a few people who refuse to use Word 
> .doc files and all sorts of other proprietary formats, even when it 
> hinders the ability "to communicate . . . with your friends." -- They 
> find least common denominators or get their friends to use AbiWord for 
> Windows or something like that. Jabber does have least common 
> denominators -- you can use email or you can use the transports... there 
>  *are* servers out there which run half-decent transports -- just try to 
> find one run by your circle of friends or something like that.

Totally agree.  My comments really only make sense when taken as an 
illustration of why a windows/linux metaphor for icq,etc/jabber isn't 
quite right.  It's just a matter of viewpoint - and those who see Jabber 
as an IM program don't see it as meeting their needs as well as 
trillian, etc.

> I think you're right when you say that Open Source advocates often see 
> Jabber as just an attempt to unify, not an attempt to replace. We need 
> to change that viewpoint.

Also agreed.

> Julian (the real one)

Julian (the... ethereal one?)


-- 
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