Re: [JDEV] Additional Uses of Jabber..

[Jeremie <jeremie@jabber.org>]

Ok, I like this message so much that I highlighted it on the dev news area
at http://jabber.org/developers/

> 	Ok, I'll try to explain what I was talking about earlier with the
> capabilities of the Jabber System.
> 
> 	I was thinking the other day..  "Ya know, it'd be great if I used Jabber as
> a way to communicate between servers, send error messages, etc..".  And it
> his me.. I can..  Here are some examples of what I'm thinking of..
> 
> 	On certain failures of parts of a server, I'd like it to be able to page
> out a message.  I'd also like it to me able to transfer files between
> servers, such as reports, etc..  Perhaps even send out a list of 'new files'
> that need to be changed..  Currently, I need to manually place these files
> on some 80+ servers worldwide.
> 
> 	Instead of building on all of these, I could simply 'Jabber Enable' these
> applications, and they could comminicate via messages with each other.  Once
> things like Server Side storage of messages happen, I wouldn't have to worry
> myself about delivery of the messages, as Jabber would take care of it FOR
> me..

Yes!  Wonderful!  That's one of the beauties of the Jabber architecture,
it's very neutral in how things happen, but extensible in how it can be
used.

> 	Using Jabber would mean I wouldn't have to include all of the different
> code required, etc, to each program, and I could easily 'Jabberify' any
> application, and 'Poof', it has access to everything I've done before..

Neato, huh?  I really can't wait to get the foundation working enough here
that I can start to 'Jabberify' most of what I do.

Once something plugs into Jabber at some node(either as a client or as a
transport, or even a module) it's functionaly becomes enrichened with
everything else out there.  If you're familiar with CORBA and the like,
it's a similiar concept but simplified, XML based, and a little more
specific.

> 	I'm not really DOING this right now, as Jabber really has to prove it can
> work on a wider scale then just testing right now before I could even come
> CLOSE to suggesting it to my boss. What I AM doing is activly looking at
> transports that I can make that would help serve this purpose.  The two that
> I actually have worked on are file transfer abilities, and a pager
> transport.  Both are in perl, as I simply LOVE perl, and it is very cross
> platform with no intervention required beside's needing to actually have
> perl installed on the server.
> 
> 	This is also a VERY favorable way to do things, as I could have ONE server
> serving the entire friggen world.  Of course, I'd have 2 providing backup
> capabilities that would be transparent to Jabber itself (Shared drives, dual
> cards that can takeover eachother's IP addresses, all of your run of the
> mill 99.9 % availability things), but that's another storyall together..
> 
> 	What DO people think of this?  I feel that if we move jabber forward, only
> specifying it as a way for people to IM eachother, we'd be doing a great
> diservice to what we COULD do with this..  Think about it..  Programs based
> on Jabber would not need to deal with IP and proprietary protocols.  This is
> what XML can REALLY do..  Not just stinkin static pages with a little data
> in it, but pure XML transactions..

At the foundation of Jabber, it's simply a neutral streaming XML server,
which is made up of the JabberBox and the transports.  Then ontop of that
is the structured XML instant messaging protocol as the data being
streamed around.

> 	Am I just dreaming here?

Yes, so am I, dreaming of LOTS of wacked out things that I want to do with
Jabber!  Back to coding now :)

Jer