[jdev] Re: Jabber Certification Program

[Julian Missig]

The "recommended" features are for the client developers, not the end 
users. The end users would see "all these clients have the features of 
a basic Jabber client" ... and we may provide a list of "extra" 
features particular clients have.

My point is that we do have the kind of featureset list you're talking 
about, and that's the required features. Recommended features are 
things that we tell the developers about, not really the users (except 
when attached to one particular client, by saying "in addition to that, 
this client has also been certified with the following additional 
features!")

So yes, we are going to work on it from the side you're talking about 
as well. There will be an "end-user friendly" display of the /required/ 
features for a particular certification.

Julian

On 18 Jun 2004, at 12:31, Jochen Wolters wrote:

>> put the button up for bragging rights.
>
> As you outlined in your original posting, Rachel, part of the 
> motivation for the certification program would be to help average 
> users choose the appropriate client. I, personally, would even 
> consider that the _key_ reason for this kind of certification.
>
> <anecdotal-evidence>When talking to users of non-Jabber IM systems, 
> what I usually hear is that Jabber is too geeky, initial configuration 
> (including the concept of having to find a server) is too difficult, 
> etc. In other words, it just does not target the same user audience as 
> IM services like iChat, AIM, or MSN Messenger.</anecdotal-evidence>
>
> Having a more average-user-oriented attitude would help make Jabber 
> (even) more popular, especially with users who are not interested in 
> all the g(l)ory ;) details behind the scenes. Consequently, 
> certification should definitely provide more than bragging rights: it 
> should ensure that the user can easily find the client, or type of 
> client, that s/he's looking for.
>
> That's also why I don't think "recommended" features in a 
> certification are such a good idea. If a Jabber application has 
> achieved a certain level of certification, the user should not be 
> required to check further resources to see whether "recommended" 
> features are in that product, after all.
>
> As a first step towards helping users choose a client, and as an 
> eventual add-on to the certification effort, providing a (complete) 
> list of clients that includes a feature-list that average users can 
> understand, would already be very helpful. E.g., list "group chat" 
> instead of naming the JEP, etc. If client programmers made sure that 
> their implementation(s) of a specific feature are standards-complient, 
> so that sending a file from one client to another should work properly 
> with _any_ pair of clients, than that would be a huge help for 
> potential Jabber users to get started by choosing a client that has 
> what they need.
>
> If the certification program would (eventually) work towards that end, 
> it's a superb idea and definitely worth supporting. If, however, it's 
> for bragging rights only, then I doubt its value. Especially if this 
> should turn out to be a for-a-fee program, since purely hobbyist 
> Jabber coders would probably not be able, let alone willing, to shed 
> over money for certification if they give their Jabber software away 
> for free.
>
>
> GreetinX,
>
> Jochen.
>
>
> -- 
> "Our gut-level distaste for something new is less about our reaction to
>  the thing in question than it is about our fears of abandoning the
>  familiar and comfortable."                             -- Andy Ihnatko
>
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