[JDEV] Winpopup compatibility, multiple recipients

[Brock Nanson]

I'm not sure that this is the correct forum for this, but it was
suggested by a contact involved with one of the clients out there!

I understand that many jabber clients will also function with other IM
services.  What I haven't seen is whether any of the clients allow
interaction with winpopup.

We have two offices connected by a VPN with samba boxes doing browse
syncing etc.  Browsing with windows boxes works across the WAN.
Winpopup does as well.  However, it apparently only sends to an
individual or a work group.  Because of how the browsing works across
the WAN, I can't have more than one workgroup on either end (unless I
add additional samba boxes).  So IM using winpopup can go to only one
recipient or a whole workgroup.  Clearly this is clumsy, but we live
with it.

I recently added a Linux workstation to the mix.  No winpopup, although
I understand there is a linpopup out there somewhere.  However, this is
the time to look for a better solution.

Jabber seems an obvious choice as it allows me to run my own server.
This is useful for both security and bandwidth reasons.  So features I'd
be interested in seeing (or suggestions of a client that allows any of
these ideas) are:

1- the ability to interact with winpopup

2- the ability to configure groups (pseudo-workgroups) and point and
click a message to the members in one go.

3- the ability to select graphically all desired recipients of a single
message.

I think two and three are included in ICQ, but I don't want to blast
inter-office stuff all over the internet if I can help it!  I haven't
found a jabber client that will do this, but I haven't installed them
all... However the documentation I've scanned doesn't seem to mention
these abilities.

Any comments this might evoke would be appreciated.  Please CC me as I'm
not yet on the list...

R Brock Nanson, P.Eng.   bnanson at true.bc.ca
TRUE Consulting Group
201 - 2079 Falcon Road
Kamloops BC V2C4J2       www.true.bc.ca
(250) 828-0881      fax: (250) 828-0717