Apple Mac OS - Manual (Page 11)

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Understanding iChat Service
Mac OS X iChat service provides secure instant messaging for
users supported by Mac OS X Server.
iChat is a service that permits users to collaborate by chatting and sharing information
using instant messaging and data transfer. This real-time interaction between computer
users promotes collaboration without the delay of mail responses and blog postings or
the expense of telephone communication or face-to-face meetings.
This collaboration might include:
 Brainstorming solutions, making plans, reporting progress, and exchanging design
images
 Exchanging weblinks and files for use as real-time references, or for follow-up
viewing
 Generating iChat transcripts when you want a written record of interactions without
taking notes
 Conducting weekly staff or project meetings, which can also facilitate collaboration
among geographically-dispersed team members
 Using built-in computer microphones for audio chat
 Using video cameras for videoconferencing—a direct, personal, and engaging form
of collaboration.
How iChat Works
iChat provides secure person-to-person instant messaging and chat-room services
using standard Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) which is found in
many instant-messaging servers such as Google Talk, Wildfire, and Jabber.
The core of iChat is open source Jabber v2.0, which provides user-presence information
(status, icons, and so on) and basic text-message exchange between users or groups
(via chat rooms). iChat chat-room features are provided transparently by the Jabber
Multi-User (MU) conference module.