I don’t presume to be an expert in IM, but I’ve published your post in the hope that somebody closer to the day-to-day action in that space might be able to assist you. Best of luck.

Brad

Thanks for the comment.

Upon further investigation, Microsoft apparently continues to use its proprietary MSNP as the IM/presence protocol that resides on its Windows Live Messenger client. Yahoo, too, is staying with its proprietary Yahoo Messenger Protocol.

The text in my post has been modified to reflect those facts. Rather than implementing standards protocols on their IM clients for the mass market, which would suggest true openness, Microsoft and Yahoo are hedging their bets (and defending their turf) by continuing to use proprietary IM/presence protocols while using SIP/SIMPLE gateway servers to facilitate interoperability between services.

It’s far from ideal, and a it’s still a dual IM universe that’s effectively walled off from everybody else. What’s interesting, of course, is that Microsoft has adopted SIP/SIMPLE as its core protocols for Windows Messenger and its Live Communications Server client, albeit with some extensions that Microsoft justifies on technical grounds. LCS, as you know, allows communication interoperability between itself and correspondents on the MSN, AOL and Yahoo IM networks.

Hi Brad, you are making a very realistic tour of the context… unfortunately very true.

You are stating Yahoo! and Microsoft are deploying SIMPLE based clients, but I cannot find anything in their latest or previous announcements describing precisely their technology options. Do you have any technology pointers you could share.

Thanks

Jean-Louis