PDF of this tutorialOne reason behind the global success of the Internet is the fact that it is built on open standards. That makes it possible for anyone to access Internet information, no matter how they access it, no matter what software they use, and no matter what kind of computer they use. People can send and receive e-mail to and from anyone else on the Internet, regardless of which e-mail system the other person is using. Unfortunately, IM has not been based on the same kind of standards. Users can only communicate with other people using the same service.
But for IM to become a broader form of communication, it needs to be based on Internet standards. While services could remain unique to a particular system, different systems should be able to communicate on a standards basis. This will require service providers to cooperate, opening their systems to each other just enough to allow the flow of messages.
