[JDEV] Scripting Jabber - Clear Communication in Scripts ?

[Josiah Ritchie]

I'm a linux admin running jabber.  I also setup the
http://scriptrepo.jabberstudio.org.  I'd like to encourage people to write
scripts and to facilitate the writing of my own to help other linux admins like
me, but I have run into a block.

Writing a script to echo info to telnet seemed ideal for sending various
automated messages, but telnet closes because echo sends an EOF at the end or
something like that and then I don't get a response and other things, including
closing the session. Anyway, the end result is the message doesn't get sent.  It
was suggested to me that I might try learning socket and use that in my script,
but then I have to implement a client server type of thing and this little "send
an automated message" becomes much larger then I'd like (plus I've been looking
for the time to do this for a few months). I want people to be able to drop a
file in place, change some variables and run it.

My questions:
Is there another way to communicate with jabberd or other servers in a way that
is easily script-able? ssh?  Or is it possible to write one server side script
for socket and then write a mini-tutorial telling others how to work with it to
write scripts and get around the telnet issue.  Is there a better solution to
all of this?

Small examples, if appropriate, would be greatly appreciate as I'm a novice
shell scripter.

Thanks,
Josiah Ritchie
Washington Bible College