[ Thanks to Mark
Durham for this link. ]
“Instant messaging (IM) is a certifiably hot topic, complete
with standards wars, megamergers, IPO-bound startups, and a global
horde of teenage chat addicts. But despite the interminable
buzz, most of what the industry press publishes is at the level of
press releases and trade show patter. As a hands-on technologist,
what do you need to know to understand where IM is headed? Forget
all the he said she said. Here are the essentials.”
“IM is a hot topic that shows no sign of cooling down anytime
soon. Each week brings news of new products and services that
leverage instant messaging technology. The industry is reaching
critical mass, with analysts and conferences to prove it. With
recent disputes over the interoperability (or not) of various IM
services and technologies still top-of-mind, the Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF) has reached a crucial stage in the
determination of messaging standards. And what with America
Online’s take-no-prisoners dominance of the IM arena, the AOL-Time
Warner merger – currently under active scrutiny, not just by the
Department of Justice, but also by the Federal Communications
Commission – adds a certain poignant tension to the mix.”
“Amid this flurry of activity, the Internet standards process
provides a point of relative calm. IM activity within the IETF
centers on the Instant Messaging and Presence Protocol Working
Group (IMPP WG, or just IMPP). At the end of May, working group
co-chairman Dave Marvit of Fujitsu Laboratories America announced a
change in the schedule for composition of standards. The new
timetable calls on interested parties to submit proposals by 15
June 2000. With these in hand, the WG will determine how much work
remains to be done and set dates for its next milestones.”