How to Set Up Your Own Instant Messaging Server

Instant messaging is not just for personal use. It is also a great way for employees to communicate with one another in the corporate world. If you are in IT, then setting up an instant messaging server can be a great benefit to your company. And the best part is that you can set one up without spending a dime. In the following tutorial, I would like to guide you through the easy process of installing my personal favorite IM server software, Openfire.

Openfire is an open source IM server software that uses the Jabber protocol. This means that any IM client that supports jabber can connect to your server.

Step 1: Figure out which computer you want to make your IM server. The good thing is that Openfire uses very little resources. You can view the requirements here.

Step 2: Download the Openfire installer.

Step 3: Run the setup wizard.

Step 4: When the installation finishes, you will run Openfire for the first time. Click “Launch Admin” to bring up the configuration.

Step 5: Next, choose your language and click “Continue”.

Step 6: Now you will configure your server settings. The “Domain” will be what you want to call your Openfire server. Leave the default ports unless you would rather use something else.

Step 7: Next, you will be able to choose your database settings. For the easiest setup, choose “Embedded Database”.

Step 8: Next, you will choose how you want to control your users. If you have an LDAP server you can configure Openfire to work with it. For the easiest setup, choose “Default”.

Step 9: Next, you will set up your administrator account.

Step 12: Click on the “Users/Groups” tab to manage your users.

Step 13: Now go to another PC and install your favorite Jabber client. You can view a list of them here. You can connect to your new IM server by using the server name (domain) and ports you specified in step 6.

If you have any experience setting up an IM server please feel free to share.

Mozilla reveals plans for Firefox in-browser VoIP

MOZILLA HAS REVEALED that it is working on a way to make audio and video calls between Firefox web browsers without the need for a third-party client.

The latest nightly build of the Firefox web browser includes experimental use of the WebRTC protocol, which Mozilla believes could standardise VOIP communications.

At present, there are myriad walled garden services including Skype, Viber and iMessage, not to mention bespoke packages and conferencing facilities.

A blog post asked, "What if the browser, with near universal adoption, could become keystone of an open, interoperable communications system?"

The service is powered by technology from Tokbox, embedding the open source OpenTok video and voice software. The new standard requires no plug-ins or additional downloads - just a camera, a microphone and a web browser.

Mozilla warned that no one should expect a complete, polished service yet, but said that Firefox will bring the eventual result to all users, regardless of operating system or device, at a later date.

The concept of breaking down the walled gardens between proprietary systems has been tried before, with most chat clients using the Yammer standard, however subsequent versions have added functionality that Yammer cannot support, meaning that many clients have lost that interoperablity.

Firefox recently underwent a facelift, bringing the look of Firefox 29 more into line with Google Chrome .

Mozilla is looking to move on from the controversies it faced earlier in the year after the arrival and hasty departure of CEO Brendan Eich, following revelations about his views on gay marriage.

SOURCE: theinquirer

Instant messaging app Viber in talks to be acquired

The Viber instant messaging application is in talks to be acquired for $300 million-$400 million by a leading instant messaging company from Asia, the Calcalist financial newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Viber is run from Cyprus by Israeli entrepreneur Talmon Marco and has development centers in Belarus and Israel. Company officials were not immediately available for comment.

Asia has several mobile chat applications such as Chinese WeChat, Japanese Line, and KakaoTalk from South Korea.

The company is funded from the pockets of its founders and several private investors from the United States, Calcalist said.

Viber has about 200 million registered users in 193 countries. It launched an instant messaging app for personal computers that allows users to make outgoing mobile calls to other Viber usersand to non-registered mobiles, making it a rival to Skype.

(Reporting by Tova Cohen; Editing by Steven Scheer)

(Source : Reuters)