[JDEV] MSN vs Jabber

[Tijl Houtbeckers]

Jabber is completly open, not only are the specifications of the protocol freely useable 
and downloadable/redistributable on the web, there is also the opensource jabber 
server. With MSN you still have to connect to microsoft, and for that you need a 
passport account as well. This means you are fully dependant on them, they can 
change the protocol at any time, but also in their EULA there are some nice things 
stating that they can do whatever they want with the data passing through the MSN 
network.

Microsoft has not openly blocked third party software, and it's not likely they will since 
they publicly stated that they are for open networks when their own clients got 
blocked by AOL. (See their open letter to Steve Case of AOL here: 
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2072885,00.html ). Still you are completly 
dependand on them.. (if they want to start blocking they'll probably come up with 
some kind of crazy software patent they have). The preffered way of M$ is to be open 
is through an API to their own product: MSN/Windows messenger.

Besides that, the possibilities with jabber are much bigger, with components you can 
basically do everything (you could even let an MSN client connect to a jabber server :) 
but that takes a while to write I think.., the other way around has already been possible 
for years.)

So in short: with MSN you are dependant on Microsoft, with Jabber you're free to do 
what you want..

Oh and let's not forget Jabber comes with a whole (developers-)community including 
mailinglists like this one :)

(you already knew most of this stuff though? :)