Using XMPP for conference (chat room)

Submitted by jean-bernard on Tue, 01/12/2009 - 09:44

Terminology
A client is a software which allows to connect to a server using a protocol. Here XMPP, also named Jabber is a protocole.

Which client to choose?

If you want nothing to install: web client are for you.
If you are using Firefox and want to browse internet during the conference: have a try to the Firefox extension SamePlace. It should also be slightly better than web client on slow internet connections.
If you have a slow computer, want to use audio or want to stay connected day and night: install a client on your computer.
If you need help on December 11, some people will be able to help you with the client Pidgin.
Tests need to be made to find a good audio client. (Psi, Spark , Pidgin, a java client or SIP Communicator, java audio has some limitations)

General instructions for all client software for connecting to or for creating a XMPP account
1. If it is needed to create a new account, choose a username and a password.
2. If the client ask the name of the service or protocole,

choose GMail if available and if connecting to an existing Gmail account,
otherwise choose XMPP or Jabber.

3. If the client ask for only one user name

username[at]dhbit [dot] ca">username[at]dhbit [dot] ca or username[at]jabber [dot] org">username[at]jabber [dot] org, ... or username@chosen_server

4. If the client ask for a username and a server

Give the username in the user name field.
Put dhbit.ca or jabber.org or the name of the choosen server in the server field.

5. Find the way the client will now if it is an account creation or a connection to an already existing account and indicate the appropriate.

Those informations are the only mandotary ones to establish the connection.

6. Add contacts and join a conference

The client must offer two different procedures to add people and to add conferences, if it has only the possibility to add people, it is useless for conference.
For people, add their address with add people
- There is an authorization system, you may have to wait for your contact to approve you. A message like: "waiting for authorization" can appear.
For conference, add them as conference and accept proposed default values if asked for. (the address can be written as in wsfssc[at]conference [dot] jabber [dot] org">wsfssc[at]conference [dot] jabber [dot] org or split in conference (wsfssc) and server (conference.jabber.org))
The first person in a conference has to create it, default values are ok.
If somebody has already the same nickname as you, you need to change it to enter.

Web based clients, with chat room support

Web client are usually asking for a personnal account on their domain!.
http://jwchat.org/ and follow general instruction, you will have to register to an account on the server jwchat.org but you can connect to a conference on an external server like conference.dhbit.ca or conference.jabber.org .
http://www.meebo.com/ (May be good accross some firewall)
- click the icon with a blue bubble and 3 little faces in the contact list window to join a conversation with many people.
- has a separate icon for gtalk and jabber
http://www.igniterealtime.org/sparkweb/ Needs review !! You will apparently need to register to an account on the server which is suggested.

Firefox extension
SamePlace
http://www.sameplace.cc/ Linux, Windows & Mac
http://www.sameplace.cc/get-started
To connect to conference:

Click icon with 3 colored people and choose Join/create chat room
The integration in the browser allows to easyly browse and chat at the same time, which can be usefull for WSF communication meetings.

Multiplateform softwares

It will be easier to find somebody which uses the same software to help you.
For audio support, as it is relatively new, it may work better with the same software is used by all participant in future meetings with sound. More tests need to be done, Psi looks a intersting solution for sound communications, as well as Sparks, Pidgin and Coccinella.
Pidgin is multiprotocol : msn, yahoo. http://pidgin.im/ (detailled help instructions below)
Psi is specialized in XMPP protocole and very efficient for it. http://psi-im.org/
Coccinella
Sparks http://www.igniterealtime.org/projects/spark/index.jsp really needs to be reviewed, allows audio communication windows, Linux, Mac
Sip communicator ? conference ??
Tkabber http://tkabber.jabber.ru/

Pidgin on MS Windows
Pidgin is an Open Source software.

1. Download from http://pidgin.im/download/windows/
2. Install it
3. Configure a XMPP account
- 3.1 If you have a Gmail account gmail_user[at]gmail [dot] com">gmail_user[at]gmail [dot] com, you can use Pidgin to connect to it
  - 3.1.1 Go to Pidgin top menu "Account" -> "Manage account" and click "Add"
  - 3.1.2 Only fields which are mandatory are mentioned here
  - 3.1.3 Select XMPP as Protocole
  - 3.1.4 Enter gmail_user as User Name (your registered user name for Google)
  - 3.1.5 Enter gmail.com as domain
  - 3.1.6 Enter your Gmail password as Password
  - 3.1.7 Choose to memorise the password if you want
  - 3.1.8 Let unchecked the create account on server case, because you are using an already existing account.
  - 3.1.9 Other field like ressource and alias do not need to be changed
  - 3.1.10Click the "Save" button on the bottom right
- 3.2 Otherwise create an account on jabber.org
  - 3.2.1 Go to the top menu "Account" -> "Manage account" and click "Add"
  - 3.2.2 Select XMPP as Protocole
  - 3.2.3 Choose a User Name for the new account to be created
  - 3.2.4 Enter jabber.org as domain
  - 3.2.5 Choose a Password
  - 3.2.6 Choose to memorise the password if you want
  - 3.2.7 Click the "Save" button on the bottom right
- 3.3 Check that the account is activated in the account window
4. Connect to wsfssc group
- 4.1 From the main window go to "Contacts" -> "Add a discussion"
- 4.2 Select the Google or Jabber.org account with which you are just connected
- 4.3 The name of the room is wsfssc
- 4.4 Server name is conference.jabber.org, it may already been pre-selected for an account at jabber.org.
- 4.5 No password is needed
- 4.6 Click on the "Add" button on the bttom of the window
- 4.7 In the main window of Pidgin a wsfssc contact should now appear, dobble-click on it to enter the room
- 4.8 If you are the first to enter in the room, you may have to accept default parameters to create it by clicking a button in a window.
Oberved bugs with pidgin and windows
- Pidgin 2.6.3: impossibility to cut and paste from Firefox, but ok from MS Word to a Pidgin conversation Window. (Probably a bug from the windowing library used by pidgin : GTK)

Other XMPPP Clients for MS Windows, not personnaly tested
http://psi-im.org/ (good multiplatform software, includes audio like Gtalk)
http://www.miranda-im.org/ (small and good with conference support)
http://pandion.im/ (group chat and compression for low bandwidth)
http://www.trillian.im/ (has also Skype)

Linux
Install from your distribution a package like: pidgin, psi or kopete
http://pidgin.im/ Install like the MS Windows version see before.
http://psi-im.org/
http://kopete.kde.org/

MacIntosh
There is a choice between softwares:

iChat is included in Mac OS X, It has support for conference http://www.apple.com/macosx/what-is-macosx/ichat.html (tested iChatAgent 5.0.1 (v743))
Adium, a bit similar to Pidgin. http://adium.im/
- Adium appears to be the best choice with iChat, it can be downloaded for different version of MacOS from the very end of the page http://trac.adium.im/wiki/AboutAdium . Videos explain how to install it: http://www.adium.im/screencasts/ !
http://psi-im.org/ (may have some support for audio)
Pidgin itself, a bit more complicated to install, but will be very closed from its MSWindows version. http://pdb.finkproject.org/pdb/package.php/pidgin and http://finkproject.org/download/

As for MSWindows, you can create an XMPP account for instance at dhbit.ca or jabber.org or reuse an existing one at Gmail-Gtalk-Google. Finally join the discussion or chat room wsfssc on the server (conference.dhbit.ca or conference.jabber.org) . I will write more detail in case of need.

Mobile phone
Nothing I tested.
http://www.ovi.com/services/
http://www.nimbuzz.com
http://www.trillian.im/

New software
http://sim-im.org/ Needs to be tested

=== Web client without chat room support (useless for us)
http://demo.afflux-project.org/#create-account

List of client software
http://xmpp.org/software/clients.shtml

Choose a XMPP service
dhbit.ca or jabber.org can be used, a list of other similar services is available
http://xmpp.org/services/

Backup conference providers