August 29, 2005

In Australia, users of the Jabber IM (instant messaging) service are watching carefully as Google launches its Google Talk feature. Some users are concerned that existing Jabber members could be locked out.

Jabber Australia, which represents 1500 users, last week welcomed news that Google will use the open standard for its instant-messaging services but also expressed concern over how Google's technology will dovetail with existing Jabber servers.

"It would be a great concern if Google failed to allow messaging between the existing network of Jabber servers and their own Jabber service," says Jeremy Lunn, president of Jabber Australia.

Last week, internet search giant Google announced Google Talk, releasing a beta of the service for all users of the company's Gmail email service. The company emphasised its service ran on the open XMPP protocol that works with a range of instant messaging clients including iChat, GAIM, Trillian and Psi.

Advertisement"The openness of the Google Talk service to XMPP clients is just a start," Google said in a statement, adding it also wants to band servers together so they communicate easily in a process known as "federation".

Mr Lunn says although he believes Google's insistence on keeping open standards and allowing different messaging systems to talk to each other, he is unclear how the search company will achieve it.

He is especially concerned about what he calls the "white-listing" of smaller instant-messaging providers and has sought clarification from Google about its strategy. "I'd be concerned about the use of white-listing as opposed to black-listing, as this could leave some smaller service providers locked out," Mr Lunn says.

He says it appears operators will have to contact Google, register and wait while the company decides whether it will add them to its list.

"That is not the way that existing Jabber servers work," Mr Lunn says. "Typically, a server would allow connections from any other server."

He says the problem with white-listing is there will be many small service providers, as well as corporate instant-messaging servers - and even those run by individuals. "The question is how easily Google will give access for this kind of server. If they give access too easily, then it's not really any more foolproof than just allowing anyone to connect as Jabber servers currently do," he says.

Once abuse, such as spam, occurs, Mr Lunn says Google must remove servers from the white-list, hence "it would just be a lot easier to black list from the start".

Google's announcement ignited speculation the company will buy internet telephony sensation Skype, which reportedly rejected a $3.9 billion offer from News Corporation earlier this month.

Matt Veenstra, on the Tribeworks.com website, wrote that Google's internet phone and instant-messaging services are no match for Skype.

"Jabber is fine, but it is no Skype. Technology-wise, Skype fits into Google's plans very well."

He argues Skype's potential advertising revenue streams would be attractive to Google.

Last Friday, Skype said it will open its platform to developers. Skype CEO and co-founder, Niklas Zennstrom, said the Luxembourg-headquartered company will allow anyone to build Skype's services into a website or application. It aims to grow its user base of 51 million into the largest instant-messaging platform.

But Mr Lunn says Google has already developed its own Jabber server implementation, presumably at a significant cost.

"I don't know why they would go to such bother if they were only going to buy Skype, unless it's only to bring the purchasing price down," he says.

Source: SMH.com.au

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