Jabber, as well as being an instant messaging network all of its own, works differently from other multi-IM clients. Instead of the client natively supporting ICQ, MSN etc, it is all supported on a Jabber server.
Because you're a WLUG'ger you might want to use the jabber.meta.net.nz server, kindly hosted by Cuchulain and Isomer. (If demand increases we might put a Jabber server up on the WlugServer).
This tutorial will assume you're using Gaim on Linux. There's a hundred other clients listed on the JabberInstantMessaging? page.
Your Jabber ID (jid) is similar in concept to ICQ's UIN, or any other unique idenitifier. It will look like an email address, and will take the form [whateveryouchoose?@your.jabber.server. Mine is plug@jabber.meta.net.nz.
When you have a Jabber account, you're on the Jabber network.
Your contact list is called a roster in Jabber. To add other people to your roster, you subscribe to their presence. Subscriptions can be both ways (you can see them and they can see you), or either way. Jabber offers a feature missing from most other IM clients, which lets you know when people have you on their roster. This appears as a subscription from them, not to them.
You can now add people to your roster based on their Jabber ID, or you can search for people in the Jabber Users' Directory (jud).
Chances are you have an ICQ or MSN account and a lot of people you'd like to keep in touch with, while you get them all converted to also using Jabber. Servers can run transports, which are server-side conversions between Jabber's XML and the native tongue of other IM systems.
For example, you can add the JIT Transport (Jabber ICQ transport) at jit.jabber.meta.net.nz. Fill in your ICQ account details, and it will automatically pull down your server-stored ICQ contact list and add them to your Jabber roster. They get given JIDs of [uin?@jit.jabber.meta.net.nz, and can be addressed as such.
Add as many transports as you want, and have a play around.
No other page links to SettingUpJabber yet.
