So maybe your printer already advertises mDNS on the LAN, as mine does, but doesn’t pass out all the parameters AirPrint devices expect to see.  From what I’ve been able to determine from a variety of sources, here’s what I know:

• IPP is used for the actual printing
• Either mDNS or DNS-SD for advertising the service availability
  • mDNS for local LAN
  • DNS-SD for wide-area support
  • DNS-SD announcement is in _universal._sub._ipp._tcp
• AirPrint requires a TXT record called URF
  • All current AirPrint apps seem to print as PDF, but field opens the door for additional formats – PDF support will be key further down in the process

So, what do you need to make this work?

1. A printer that supports printing via IPP
2. A server that can run cups & avahi
3. A suitable printer driver for cups that supports your printer and can handle PDF documents (foomatic, gutenprint, etc. are fine choices)

I opted to create a VM on my existing VMware ESXi server at home.  I used the FreeBSd 8.2 x86 (i.e. 32-bit) version.  I just did a basic install, then added packages from the CLI later.  I installed the packages I needed:

pkg_add -r avahi cups gutenprint-cups py26-cups

This will pull the packages for avahi (mDNS server), cups, the Gutenprint cups drivers and the python interface to cups.

First, you’ll want to configure cups so that everything on your local LAN can print to the cups server.  This is covered quite well in the cups docs, so I’ll omit those directions.  Next, add your printer to the cups server.  Again, this is a very simple process, so I’ll omit that as well.  After you get the printer setup on the cups side, print a test page to be sure the communication between your cups instance and the printer is functioning.  Got it working?  Good.

Next, you’ll run a script from a guy named TJ Fontaine that generates the Avahi service file.  So, the script talks to your cups server and pulls the list of available printers, and spits out service files for them.  I wasn’t thrilled with the quality of the XML that got shot out by the program – it was almost all on a single line.  I took the time to break the lines and indent properly, and for my HP LaserJet 2420dn, I wound up with:

[airprint:root](04:47 PM)
/root# cat /usr/local/etc/avahi/services/AirPrint-OfficeLaser.service
<?xml version="1.0" standalone='no' ?>
<!DOCTYPE service-group  SYSTEM "avahi-service.dtd">
<service-group>
<name replace-wildcards="yes">AirPrint OfficeLaser @ %h</name>
<service>
        <type>_ipp._tcp</type>
        <subtype>_universal._sub._ipp._tcp</subtype>
        <port>631</port>
        <txt-record>txtvers=1</txt-record>
        <txt-record>qtotal=1</txt-record>
        <txt-record>Transparent=T</txt-record>
        <txt-record>URF=none</txt-record>
        <txt-record>rp=printers/OfficeLaser</txt-record>
        <txt-record>note=hp LaserJet 2420</txt-record>
        <txt-record>product=(GPL Ghostscript)</txt-record>
        <txt-record>printer-state=3</txt-record>
        <txt-record>printer-type=0x21014</txt-record>
        <txt-record>pdl=application/octet-stream,application/pdf,application/postscript,application/vnd.cups-raster,image/gif,image/jpeg,image/png,image/tiff,text/html,text/plain,application/vnd.cups-banner,application/vnd.cups-postscript,application/vnd.cups-raw</txt-record>
</service>
</service-group>

Drop this in /usr/local/etc/avahi/services, and Avahi will start advertising the service.  You’re going to need to generate your own service file, but with the script linked above, this is pretty simple.

Now, go grab an iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad running iOS 4.2 or later.  Launch Safari, print something.  Your newly created printer should show up as available.  Print there, and whammo, you’re done.

The crux of VeriFone’s attacks surround the ability to develop smartphone apps.  So, a bit of background first..  Square’s business model is radically different than other credit card processing houses.  They give you a little dongle that attaches to your iPhone, iPad or Android phone.  You load a little app on the device, and you start accepting CC payments using the dongle as the card swiper.  Square takes 2.75% of the transaction.  This is radically different than others, which typically charge a base fee plus 2-4% of the total charge amount.  For most smaller users, Square is a vastly better deal than other solutions.

VeriFone, not being fond of losing business has elected to throw FUD at the competition, rather than simply compete with them.  They developed a little app of their own, called it Square and used it to demo how a malicious individual could steal credit card data from customers.  Big, fat, hairy deal, right?  Wrong.

The problem is that while yes, someone could write a rogue app and use it in this manner, they failed to mention that their own software, PaywarePC runs on PCs.  Swipe devices for PCs are typically just USB HID devices (HID == Human Interface Device) that act like a specialized keyboard.  Install a keylogger on the system and you’ll capture everything, including CVV2 data, since that has to be inputted on – you guessed it, a keyboard.

Why not start attacking any company that accepts credit cards over the phone, or over the Internet?  Your data is just as vulnerable there as well.

This is just plain and simple FUD.  Bad business.  You should be able to win business based on the merits of your products, not based on how much FUD you can throw at your competitor’s products.

Samsung Fascinate

People are getting all fired up and throwing great big fits over this one.

Verizon Wireless just released their Samsung Galaxy S handset, the Fascinate.  Like it’s other Galaxy S cousins, it sports a 4″ Super AMOLED screen (or was that SuperDuperAwesomeSquared?), a 5 MP camera on the back (this time with a flash, unlike some of the other Galaxy S devices), and their earth-shattering 1 Ghz Cortex A8 CPU, the cousin of the Apple A4 that lives in the latest Apple iDevices and AppleTV.

What’s the problem?  The default search on the device is Microsoft Bing.  You can’t change the “default” system search tool, i.e. what the search softkey uses.  Bad move, I think.  However, nothing is stopping you from going to the Market and downloading the Google Search app, removing the Bing widget from the home screen and dropping the Google Search widget right there in its place.

Is this a huge deal breaker?  Probably not.  The people who really care enough about this, will likely be the same people who will consider rooting their phone and installing a custom ROM.  I’m sure the Cyanogen Mod squad is hard at work on producing a CM6 release for the Fascinate.  They already have one underway for the Vibrant, the T-Mobile variant of the Galaxy S.

Image Source: Boy Genius Report

Right now, CM6 is available for a handful of HTC devices, as well as the original Motorola Droid.  For a complete list, check the wiki to see if your phone can use CM6.  First up, you’ll need root access to your device, as you’re going to need to flash a custom recovery image onto your phone.  Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds.  Again, back to the wiki, look at the detailed directions for your device.  For some devices, like the Nexus One (what I’m using), you may want to grab the “Universal Androot” package.  It works for the N1, as well as a bunch of other devices, and is available from the developer’s site. And yes, Virginia, there is enough of the pages written in English that you’ll be able to figure it out.  If you’re a phone that’s not supported by the Universal Androot, you’re not sunk yet.  There’s either a manual process, which will be described on the wiki, linked above, OR if you have an HTC Evo, Desire, Incredible, Wildfire, Aria (aka Liberty) or Hero, you can use unrevoked.  It’s pretty painless.

My Home Screen

Warning: once you root, there may be no going back, especially if you do something like unlock the bootloader.  Officially speaking, once you unlock the bootloader (which isn’t always required), your warranty may be void.  I’m not responsible if you blow up your phone, start a small war, or your cat runs away.

Another warning: If you’re using a device that uses the HTC Sense UI, flashing CM6 will cause the UI to revert to the standard Android UI.

Got root?  Ok, now it’s onto the easy parts.  Install ROM Manager from the Android Market.  You can use the free version without any troubles.  Got that loaded?  Go ahead and flash the Clockworkmod Recovery to your phone.  ROM Manager should autodetect what type of phone you have, but it will ask for confirmation before it does anything.

Ready to roll?  Ok, grab the CM6 ROM image from a mirror.  While you’re at it, grab the latest Google Apps zip file for your phone type as well.  Stash those on your SD card.  Here we go.  First up, a full backup.  Back into ROM Manager, and “Reboot into Recovery”.  In the recovery?  Ok, now do a backup.  This is also called a “Nandroid Backup”.  What the heck is that?  Put simply, it’s a full backup of your current ROM image.  You want to do this.  REALLY.

Once you’re in the recovery menu, just do a backup.  Navigating the recovery menu uses the trackball to go up, down & select, and the power button acts as a “back button”. Your backup will take 3-5 minutes, and will require about 300-500 MB on your SD card.  Make sure you’ve got the space available!  For your reference, my Nexus One’s backup of the stock 2.2 image was 303MB.

HTC_IME Keyboard Portrait

All backed up?  Ok, let’s go.  Do a factory reset/wipe and wipe the cache as well.  Next, install a zip file from the SD card, specifically the CM6 ROM.  Repeat the steps to install the gapps image as well (if you’re planning on using the gapps, and you probably are).  All done?  Reboot.  Your phone will come up like it’s all brand new.

I’ve take some additional steps, going a bit further than just stock CM6.  I also added the HTC_IME Mod keyboard, which replaces the standard Android keyboard with the HTC Sense keyboard.  Once you get it installed, selecting it is as simple as doing a long press on a text field, and changing the input method to HTC_IME mod (assuming you’ve already turned the mod on in the system keyboard preferences!).

So back to the review.  So, was it all worth it?  I’d have to say yes.  Absolutely.  There was certain a small amount of inconvenience, associated with backup & restore of data, re-creating accounts and sync mappings, as well as the little things like prefs for ringtones, etc.  That was far and away outweighed by the good stuff I got – better performance, enhanced feature set – especially the use of ADW.Launcher by default, and the enhanced power control widget.

HTC_IME Keyboard Landscape

Ok, so now suppose you want to go back to where you started, how do you undo all of this?  Simply boot back into the recovery image, do another factory reset/wipe, wipe the cache and then restore.  Reboot, and you’re back.

Android is still in many regards somewhat of a wild west affair with regard to software updates, especially given the open source nature of the OS.  Will there be bumps along the way?  Probably.  Are you the type wants a phone that “just works” and doesn’t like to tinker?  CM6 probably isn’t for you, nor is pretty much any custom ROM.

For those who don’t know, I was a hardcore Symbian user for years, mostly S60 devices, though I had a fleeting stint using a Nokia 9300 (my only S80 device ever).  That’s what you get when you spend the better part of 10 years working at Nokia.  Nokia has historically done a very good job of producing smartphones – it’s been their bread & butter for years.  I had a brief stint using an N97, followed by a loaner of an N97 Mini from the Womworld guys, and I was never wowed, heck, never even liked S60 v5.  For me, the last great S60 was v3.  FP1 or FP2 were both good to me.  Heck, I still have an N85 that I use for my home line.

These days, it seems like everyone’s in iLove, going absolutely gaga over the iPhone, including the latest incarnation – the iPhone 4.  Deathgrip aside, I was never a huge fan of the iPhone.  I had a 3G for a day, and returned it.  Bad battery life (like in the 3-4 hour range), and the walled garden – don’t get me started about locking out developers – I maintain that it’s bad for business in the long run.

I got my Nexus One in the AT&T variant, so it’s got quad-band GSM/EDGE and tri-band (850/1900/2100) UMTS/HSDPA support, as well as the 802.11g WLAN, Bluetooth and GPS radios.  That’s a lot of RF in a small case.  Physically speaking, the Nexus One feels great in your hand.  There’s some sort of coating on the metal parts that’s just slightly tacky, not metallic at all.  It just feels great in your hands.  The RF performance on the Nexus One is very good in my experience.  I don’t notice any lower coverage than I saw with my prior Nokia E72.  All in all, very good.

Connectivity is where Android 2.2 really shines.  On my Nexus One, I’ve got my home Google Apps account sync’d, as well as my corporate Exchange ActiveSync.  The phone keeps track of where the different bits of data came from and only tries to sync the appropriate data to the various accounts.  It’s very well thought out and I didn’t wind up with lots of data duplication.  Further, Android 2.2 implements the much sought-after mobile hotspot feature.  If you’re unfamiliar, you use your WLAN radio to setup an Access Point, then connect WLAN devices to that AP, which shares your phone’s 3G (or even EDGE) wireless data connection.  Pretty slick.

On the ActiveSync front, the client is very good, and fairly complete, though a couple of what I consider to be key features aren’t there yet.

Rather than the App Store, Android uses the Android Market.  Same idea, essentially, though it seems that you need to do substantially less hoop-jumping to get your app in the Market.  While yes, Apple definitely has a wide margin of available apps, I’ve yet to be disappointed when I got searching for an Android app for a specific task.  This review focuses on the device itself, not the apps, so I’m not going to go too deep there, but suffice it to say that I’m happy with the app selection.

Overall, it’s a great device, and the future for Android is indeed bright.  Go make the jump, you won’t be disappointed.

Our firewall is a Juniper Networks SRX210, which lends itself very well to this task, as it supports ethernet switching natively.  First up was creating a couple of VLANs & RVIs on the firewall and assigning them to security zones.  These RVIs will need to have dhcp allowed on their as an inbound system service.  Next, some security policies will need to be created to allow devices in the new zones to talk out to the untrust (i.e. Internet) zone.  Next, you’ll need to configure a VLAN trunk on the port connected to the wireless AP (fe-0/0/6 in our example).  Finally, you’ll need to setup DHCP helpers for each of the RVIs to direct their DHCP requests to your DHCP server.  If you use the SRX as your DHCP server, you would instead configure a DHCP scope for these networks.  Here’s an example of what that might look like:

set vlans vlan2 vlan-id 2
set vlans vlan2 l3-interface vlan.2
set vlans vlan3 vlan-id 3
set vlans vlan3 l3-interface vlan.3

set int fe-0/0/6.0 family ethernet-switching port-mode trunk
set int fe-0/0/6.0 family ethernet-switching vlan members [ vlan2 vlan3 ]
set int vlan.2 family inet addr 192.168.2.1/24
set int vlan.3 family inet addr 192.168.3.1/24

set forwarding-options helpers bootp interface vlan.2 server 192.168.1.20
set forwarding-options helpers bootp interface vlan.3 server 192.168.1.20

set security zones security-zone guest interfaces vlan.2 host-inbound-traffic system-services dhcp
set security zones security-zone guest interfaces vlan.2 host-inbound-traffic system-services ping

set security zones security-zone dsnet interfaces vlan.3 host-inbound-traffic system-services dhcp
set security zones security-zone dsnet interfaces vlan.3 host-inbound-traffic system-services ping

But that’s only half of the battle.  We still need to setup the AP.  In our example, I used a Fonera Fon 2100.  Instructions for how to reflash it with OpenWRT can be found on their wiki.  Once you’ve got that together, you’ll need to make some mods to their stock network configuration to make it work, but it’s not so bad.  Essentially, you’ll make 2 SSIDs, and bind them to 2 VLAN-tagged sub-ints of eth0, forming 2 bridge groups.  In OpenWRT, when you create an interface of the form eth0.X, where X is in the range 1-4094, you’ve just created a tagged sub-int.

/etc/config/network:

config 'interface' 'loopback'
option 'ifname' 'lo'
option 'proto' 'static'
option 'ipaddr' '127.0.0.1'
option 'netmask' '255.0.0.0'

config 'interface' 'guest'
option 'ifname' 'eth0.2'
option 'type' 'bridge'
option 'proto' 'static'
option 'netmask' '255.255.255.0'
option 'ipaddr' '192.168.2.2'
option 'defaultroute' '0'
option 'peerdns' '0'
option 'stp' '1'

config 'interface' 'dsnet'
option 'ifname' 'eth0.3'
option 'type' 'bridge'
option 'proto' 'static'
option 'netmask' '255.255.255.0'
option 'ipaddr' '192.168.3.2'
option 'stp' '1'
option 'defaultroute' '0'
option 'peerdns' '0'


/etc/config/wireless:

config 'wifi-device' 'wifi0'
option 'type' 'atheros'
option 'channel' 'auto'
option 'disabled' '0'
option 'diversity' '0'

config 'wifi-iface'
option 'device' 'wifi0'
option 'mode' 'ap'
option 'ssid' 'dsnet'
option 'encryption' 'wep'
option 'key' 's:myWEPkey12345'
option 'macpolicy' 'allow'
list 'maclist' 'e8:4e:ce:xx:yy:zz'
option 'network' 'dsnet'

config 'wifi-iface'
option 'device' 'wifi0'
option 'ssid' 'notyourhouse'
option 'network' 'guest'
option 'mode' 'ap'
option 'encryption' 'psk2'
option 'key' 'guestWPAkey'

Now you’ve got both SSIDs up, each bound to a different VLAN, and can enforce different security policies on each!

But here’s what I don’t get.  Apple clearly wasn’t in a rush to get this thing out the door – rumors of an Apple tablet have been flying around ever since the Newton checked out.  It’s not like they had to push it out right now, at once.  Given those facts, why do it now, rather than let it finish cooking and release the product everyone wants?

To me, the device makes sense if you add some stuff to it.  Like for starters, a front-facing camera. This is the ideal form factor for a Skype / iChat Video device, yet it’s missing the camera.  Reading PDFs as part of iBooks should be part of the core functionality.  As near as I can tell, the way you get PDFs on the iPad is with 3rd party apps like Papers. Oh yeah, and it should cost half what it does.  I’d buy an 8GB iPad for $250.  Heck, I might even go $299.  But $499?  You’ve got to be kidding me.

Inevitably, all of these issues will be addressed, and you early adopters will pay the price, having financed iPad 2.0 and 3.0, which will integrate the features that should have been there on day 1.  I’m actually finally considering an iPhone, once I see what this year’s announcement brings.  Apple’s 4th pass at a phone might measure up.  We’ll see.

Physical Attributes

The device’s size is great.  Nice and small.  I had an N97 for a (very) short time not long after it came out, and I was not a fan of the form factor.  It felt almost like carrying around an old 9500.  What a brick that thing was.  Contrasted with this, I’d be totally satisfied with the form factor.  Obviously, thinner would be better, to a point, but I’m not unhappy with the thickness.  In terms of construction, there’s just enough metal to make it feel solid in your hands, like it’s not going to snap in half while you’re typing on it.

One problem I had with the layout – the position of the headphone jack.  On my train ride home from the office yesterday, I had my headphones plugged in while listening to some tunes.  Typing a couple of emails and texts was awkward.  It would have been better if the headphone jack had moved toward the top, but the camera assembly would then need to be relocated.  Typing on the keyboard wasn’t bad, took a bit of getting used to, but nothing ridiculous.

Software

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.  S60 is really showing its age.  Yes, S60 v5 has some advances over v3, even FP2, but it’s still got a lot of the baggage that’s accompanied S60 devices over the years – mostly speed related.  This phone won’t win any UI races.  The device lacks any form of multi-touch capabilities, due to its use of a resistive touchscreen.  Yes, I’ve heard all the arguments about how you can use resistive screens while wearing gloves.  Frankly, I don’t often find myself trying to use my phone while wearing gloves.  I’d rather have a capacitive screen – much more responsive.

As it’s big brother does, the N97 Mini includes Ovi Maps, and is compatible with the new version of Ovi Maps that includes free navigation.  I love the free navigation concept, and expect others to follow suit.  That said, I much prefer using Google Maps.  I find it faster and more responsive than Ovi Maps overall, and think it’s much better at finding things in the area because of its hooks into the Google Search infrastructure.  I’d use something like Ovi Maps in my car for navigation, but I’ve owned a Garmin Nuvi for several years now, and I’m not quite ready to get rid of it.

For email, I’m using Mail for Exchange.  The latest version for S60 v5 does not include HTML mail support, something I miss from my E72.  I’m planning on trying out RoadSync on this phone as well, but since I already know that it doesn’t support network destinations (i.e. access point groups), I’ll be disappointed there as well, though I will get my HTML mail.

In the browser arena, as expected, I found the Nokia browser to be adequate, but not really as good as I’d like to see it.  I tried out Opera Mobile on the device, and was generally more pleased with its functionality, though I found it to be slightly less responsive than the stock Nokia browser.

Network

I ran a some speed tests from a variety of sites, using both AT&T 3G data as well as via the WLAN in my home.  Over the air, I saw download speeds ranging from 500 – 780 kbps.  Over the WLAN, I saw speeds around 1.2 Mbps.  On my Mac on the same WLAN, I see about 18 Mbps down and 4.2 Mbps up (I have 20/5 FiOS at home).  These performance numbers are consistent with my tests with other S60 phones, like the E71, E72 and my wife’s E75.  It’s also close to what my iPhone toting friends in the area see.

Conclusions

In summary, the N97 Mini is definitely a better choice than the bigger N97.  It’s more pocketable, and has the same features, with a better form factor.  If all you’re after is an S60 v5 touch device, you’d probably be better off with the 5800 Nav Edition, but if you can’t live without a qwerty keyboard, the N97 Mini is a winner.  Will I buy one?  Probably not – I’m satisfied with my E72.  Right now, Android 2.1 has ActiveSync that gets email and contacts.  If they add calender support to it, I’ll be on an Android device before too long.  Why?  Newer devices, more innovation, actual integration with Google Voice – something I actually use on a daily basis and more than one vendor really interested in using it.  Hopefully S60 can turn things around before my next phone purchase.  As a co-worker said the other day, the call quality on Nokia devices is better than anything else I’ve ever used.

1. No RAID
2. Onboard NIC required significant fiddling to get working under ESXi 3.5u4
3. No onboard video, so I needed a video card, plus a network card to get going (the real root cause of #1 above).
4. A bit loud.  The system wasn’t terribly loud, but for something that’s on full-time in the background in my office, it could be distracting at times.

So here we are, it’s a brand-new year, so the big project was an upgrade, inspired by some requirements I found with a project at work.  In the end, the old server was converted into a workstation and now has a happy home.  So what’s the current system?  Another Shuttle XPC.  This time, it’s the SG45H7.  This is a slightly smaller chassis than the already small SP35P2 Pro.  The SP line has space for 2 hard drives up top, above the optical drive that the SG line lacks, resulting in a shorter case.  The SG45H7 is targeted as an HTPC, and includes onboard video with both SVGA and HDMI outputs.  Further, it includes 2 expansion slots, one PCIe x16 and one PCI.

Shuttle SG45H7 Case

System preparation was pretty straight forward.  I followed the basic Shuttle directions for installing the Intel Core 2 Quad 9550  CPU, and the 8GB of DDR2-800 RAM (the ram shifted over from the SP35P2 Pro).  With the latest BIOS upgrade, (which I applied first) the SG45H7 can handle 4x 4GB DIMMs, for a total of 16GB of RAM.  Not too shabby!

The system came with 3 internal SATA-II ports, only 2 of which were pre-cabled (1 extra cable in the box though), and an IDE cable for use with an IDE optical drive.  I removed the IDE cable and one of the 2 SATA cables, which gave me room to run a SAS SFF-8087 to 4x SATA break-out cable through the wiring channel along with the remaining system SATA cable.  The SATA cable was used for a DVD-RW drive (I picked the cheapest Lite-On DVD-RW drive that Newegg was selling at the time), and 2 of the 4 SATA connectors on the break-out cable were for the 2x 1TB Samsung HDDs I installed.  Starring as the RAID controller was an LSI 8344ELP PCIe x4 card.  I got a new card that was actually an HP OEM version.  It’s really HP only as far as the sticker goes.  It still runs the LSI firmware, and happily accepted the latest firmware from the LSI website.  I’ve used this card a number of times now in other system builds, and it works very well, in addition to the low cost (around $150).  That’s right, $150 for a PCIe x4 RAID card that’s real, honest-to-goodness hardware RAID with 8 ports, supports use of SAS expanders to accommodate up to 32 total drives and supports RAID 0 / 1 / 5 / 10 / 50.  Yes, I see the word “obselete” in the URL on LSI’s website, but I’m not terribly bothered by that, since there is excellent support for the card.  Driver support is excellent, and there was a firmware update in November, 2009.  Doesn’t seem all that obselete to me.

Since the onboard NIC was also not supported by ESXi 4.0 update 1, I opted for an Intel Pro 1000 GT PCI NIC.  This was my only quibble with the build.  If this system had both onboard video, and 2 PCIe slots, I could have used a multi-port NIC from Intel.  Now that this build is complete, Shuttle will probably truck out a new version of this model that includes 2 PCIe x16 slots, keeping the onboard video.  I’ll save that for the 3.0 version of the project, maybe in 12-18 months.

After I completed the hardware build, I formatted a USB stick to be bootable, using Method 2, as shown on bootdisk.com.  On that bootable USB stick, I dropped the Shuttle BIOS upgrade files, as well as the RAID controller firmware update.  Then, I booted from the stick and did the upgrades needed.  That took a couple of reboots and probably 10 minutes to complete.  After that, I built the RAID, from the LSI card BIOS, which only took a few minutes, since I was just simply creating a blank RAID-1 volume from a couple of empty drives.

Lastly, I installed VMware ESXi 4.0 update 1, and frankly, it was the most uneventful part of the process.  Why?  It took a good 5 minutes and almost no interaction to complete.  The final migration step was to move VMs over, update the VMware Tools and upgrade Virtual Hardware.

What brought this about?  Facebook has started opening up and federating their IM system with other networks.  First up is AIM.  That’s right, AIM users can now chat with Facebook Chat users.  Since Facebook wisely chose the open XMPP (eXtensible Messaging & Presence Protocol) for this, which allows easy federation (i.e. interoperability) with other IM services, including the greater Jabber/XMPP community, which includes Google Talk, both in its standard and “Apps for Your Domain” flavors.

Here’s the gist, tell your Jabber client (they give precise instructions for Pidgin, Adium and iChat) to connect as your-user-name@chat.facebook.com and you’re all set.  For other Jabber clients, check out the link above for any particulars on the connection parameters.

One thing that they did not do, and it’s a bit irksome – no SSL/TLS support.  Come on kids, we’re in the 21st century here, let’s get with the program a bit.  After all, the standard login.facebook.com page uses SSL, so why not this too?

So overall, it’s great news, but they’ve still got a bit of work to do.