This page answers some frequently-asked questions about the Jabber.org IM service and Jabber technologies in general.
- How do I get an account?
- What is a JID?
- What is the “Resource” setting for in my client?
- I forgot my password! How can I reset it?
- I don’t like my password! How can I change it?
- I don’t need my account any longer. Can you delete it?
- Can I chat with people on other IM services?
- Is Jabber.org secure?
- I get a certificate warning. What can I do?
- Does Jabber.org support chatrooms?
- How can I create my own room on the conference server?
- I noticed that some of the chatrooms are logged — can you log my room, too?
- I’m behind a firewall — can I still log into the jabber.org service?
- My question isn’t answered here, where do I go for help?
How do I get an account?
To create an account at the Jabber.org IM service, visit register.jabber.org. Note: We used to offer “in-band registration” from your Jabber client, but that feature is currently disabled while we work to improve security.
What is a JID?
JID is the shorter term used for “Jabber ID”. Your JID identifies you on the Jabber network. It is somewhat like an email address, though used for instant messaging instead. If you create an account at the Jabber.org IM service your JID will be of the form “username@jabber.org”, but your friends might have JIDs from gmail.com or any other XMPP service.
What is the “Resource” setting for in my client?
Unlike many other messaging networks, Jabber allows you to use the same account and log in from multiple devices at the same time. For example, you might have a client at home, one at work, and one on your mobile phone. Any of them can be connected at once. The resource is used to identify each of these individual clients for message delivery.
I forgot my password! How can I reset it?
For the Jabber.org IM service, visit the Lost Password page.
I don’t like my password! How can I change it?
You can change your password using any full-featured IM client, such as Adium, Gajim, Pidgin, or Psi.
In Adium, log in, go to the File menu, scroll down to “Disconnect” and you will see a list of actions you can perform. Choose “Change Password”. A new window will appear. Enter your preferred password and click “OK”.
In Gajim, go to “Accounts” (through “Edit” menu), choose your account, expand “Administration operations” on “Account” tab, click “Change Password”, type a new password twice , and click “OK”.
In Pidgin, go to “Accounts”, select your account, and choose “Change Password…”
In Psi, go to “Account Setup”, choose your account, click “Modify”, type a new password, and click “Change…”
I don’t need my account any longer. Can you delete it?
We automatically delete accounts if they have been inactive (no logins) for 12 months. If you want us to delete an account immediately, please provide the same information that you would provide for a Lost Password request.
Can I chat with people on other IM services?
Yes! The Jabber.org service connects with all IM services that use XMPP, the open standard for instant messaging and presence over the Internet. The services we connect with include Google Talk, Live Journal Talk, Nimbuzz, Ovi, and thousands more. However, you can’t connect from Jabber.org to proprietary services like AIM, ICQ, MSN, Skype, or Yahoo because they don’t yet use XMPP. We’re working on that. :)
Is Jabber.org secure?
The Jabber.org service uses industry-standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) to encrypt your connection to the server. Our security certificate is issued by the XMPP Intermediate Certification Authority with the backing of StartCom, a widely-recognized CA that is bundled with Mozilla FireFox, Apple MacOS X, numerous Linux distributions, and many modern IM clients. Furthermore, the Jabber.org IM service is hosted in a secure data center by USSHC, with strict physical security and up-to-date security patches on a Debian GNU/Linux operating system.
The Jabber.org administrators take your privacy and security very seriously — please read the Service Policy for full details about our security measures. If you have any questions about security, please ask in the jabber@conference.jabber.org room (see the Get Help page for details).
I get a certificate warning. What can I do?
The domain certificate used at the jabber.org IM service is issued by the StartSSL PKI, which is recognized by Apple, Microsoft, Mozilla, and many other platforms. It is possible that your IM client or device does not yet recognize StartSSL, which means you might want to install their root certificate from http://www.startssl.com/certs/ca.crt.
Does Jabber.org support chatrooms?
Yes! In Jabber these are known often as Multi-User Conferences, or ‘MUCs’ for short. Usually you will find the option to join rooms in the menu of your client. e.g. “Join chat” in Pidgin. At Jabber.org the MUC service is conference.jabber.org (e.g., our “help room” is jabber@conference.jabber.org).
If you have an account at the Jabber.org IM service, you can also join chatrooms at other XMPP servers on the Internet. You can search for rooms of interest at <http://search.wensley.org.uk/>.
How can I create my own room on the conference server?
The answer is simpler than you might expect… simply join any non-existent room, and it will be automatically created. You will be assigned ownership. If you need any help managing your room, feel free to ask questions in the jabber@conference.jabber.org room. Also, please help your overworked Jabber.org admins and delete rooms you are no longer using (an option in most clients). Thanks!
I noticed that some of the chatrooms are logged — can you log my room, too?
We do indeed archive the conversations in a few of the chatrooms hosted at conference.jabber.org — see logs.jabber.org for a complete list. In general we don’t like to turn on room logging, but if you ask really nicely in the jabber@conference.jabber.org room, we might do that for you.
I’m behind a firewall — can I still log into the jabber.org service?
Yes, you can, but you need to make sure that outbound port 5222 is open (this is the registered port for XMPP client connections). To check whether your connection is blocked, type ‘telnet jabber.org 5222′ in a terminal or console window.
My question isn’t answered here, where do I go for help?
Visit the Get Help page for more information.