XMPP/Jabber As a Language
Recently there’s been alot of talk about the XMPP/Jabber Protocol as being used instead of other languages or methods to do… well, alot more than handling Instant Messages.
What (Is It)?
For the uninitiated, XMPP/Jabber is an open source instant messaging platform, with software on both the server and client ends. It, until lately, has been used as a free and open alternative to popular services like AIM, Yahoo! Messenger, etc. The protocol got alot of attention when Google rolled out their Google Talk platform, which is built using the XMPP/Jabber Protocol, making it very easy for “advanced” users on multi-user clients to user it, without needing to install “yet another” program.
Who (Uses It… Besides Google)?
TiVO apparently uses XMPP to send update notification to their users’ boxes, telling them when they have new software or listings that need to be downloaded. AOL claims they’re transitioning from their proprietary formats to XMPP, to be rolled out at some point in the future. Some new startups use it as an easy IM method, instead of building a custom one, or on top of a complicated method.
Why (Do We Care)?
The Internet, and pretty much all software, runs pieces of code periodically (could be on a daily, hourly, or even minute basis) to check for updates. For example, Desktop Email clients go out on a specified interval and check the server for email, and on non-AJAX websites you have to hit “refresh” if you want to see new data.
Now, imagine if this was all changed. Instead of waiting for your email to show up in your Inbox, what if it automatically knew when it had to update? And didn’t even check for hours, as long as you don’t have any new email? This might not seem like a big deal to the average user, but from a computing standpoint, it’s major. The resources (memory, processing cycles, etc.) saved by only accessing data when needed could cut operating costs of services and companies by large portions… especially when you’re consuming large amounts of bandwidth for a data transfer that may be meaningless.
But (Alot of Websites Use AJAX, So It Doesn’t Matter…)?
True, but AJAX is not the most developer friendly. Or resource friendly. Even if you have a site that auto-updates itself, chances are high that it does it the old fashioned way: queries a database, returns results, maybe doesn’t print anything. This is done, typically, using four languages: JS/AJAX, database (MySQL, Oracle, etc.), processing (PHP, Ruby, etc.), and rendering (HTML). Remove the AJAX layer, and suddenly websites run infinitely faster, especially on older computer.
Speaking from experience, you usually have to do weird workarounds to get AJAX to do exactly what you want. Call an AJAX function, call a script, query the database, print/return data, pass the data, and render it. This is a huge pain, and you hear about it all the time.
When (Will It Be Popular)?
Maybe never, but I’m going to start using it as soon as I can. I’m currently hosted on (mediaTemple)’s (gridserver) plan, and they don’t support it, but I’ve asked for it and it’s apparently being “prioritized” [if you use them too, ask for it... maybe they'll do it faster]. The ability to create programs and scripts that automatically update and talk to each other, without complicated CRON Jobs, is something I’m looking forward to.
Alot.
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