[This is a template for local documentation on SIMP Service.]
This site provides lightweight distributed instant messaging and presence service.
To start using the SIMP Service quickly, follow the instructions on requesting an account, and installing a client.
Instant messaging is designed to support message exchange at a rate that supports chat-like conversations. An instant message is delivered quickly to a recipient if the recipient is listening for messages, otherwise the message is dropped and the sender is informed of the delivery failure.
A user of an instant messaging service can employ a presence service to keep track of the listening status of a set of users. By consulting this service, a user has a good chance of predicting if a message will get to its recipient.
This implementation of instant messaging is designed so that the service can be provided by a set of distributed servers spread across many administrative domains. The protocol is designed to allow a simple implementation of this distributed service and thus is called the Simple Instant Messaging and Presence (SIMP) Service.
To use the service, you must request an account and install a client. To create and account, send email to USERNAME@HOST.
The client is written in Java and requires the Java 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition v1.2.2 or higher. Java is available from Sun.
To install the SIMP Launcher client, download the archive simplauncher.zip and
extract its contents. The archive will create a directory called
simp with four or five files. On Windows, invoke the
client by clicking on the simplauncher.jar icon in the
simp directory. On Unix, if simp is
missing, type sh install.sh. Start the launcher by
invoking simp. The launcher has been tested on Solaris,
Linux, and the various Windows operating systems.
The SIMP Launcher client will display a window that requests an instant message address and a password. In the field labeled "User login", type your user name, the at-sign character (@), and finally the SIMP server's host name. The tab or enter key will move you to the password field. The password is given to you when the account is set up. Press the enter key after the password, and the server will be contacted.
If login succeeds, the current version of the SIMP client will be
downloaded onto your machine and cached in your simp
directory. This will ensure that you are always running the latest
version of the client available from your server. Once the client is
downloaded, it will display the Buddies window.
The Buddies window shows the set of users, called buddies, for whom you are receiving presence information. Buddies are organized into named groups, and displayed using a tree format. The Buddies window contains two tabs, "Buddies" and "Edit Buddies". When the "Buddies" tab is selected, only the buddies who are currently online are displayed. To modify your list of buddies, you need to select the "Edit Buddies" tab.
By selecting the "Edit Buddies" tab, you can see all of your buddies, not just those who are online, and you can add and remove buddies and groups using the various options under the Edit menu. You can also edit buddies and group names directly by clicking, waiting, and clicking again on the item you wish to change. Groups and buddies always appear in sorted order, so if you rename a group or buddy, its position in the list will change. Double-clicking or pressing the enter key on a buddy when the "Edit Buddies" tab is selected will display information about that buddy. The delete key can also be used to remove the currently selected buddy or group.
When the "Buddies" tab is selected, double-clicking or pressing the enter key will open a conversation window for the selected buddy. You can also use the Send option under the File menu to initiate a conversation, but this will ask you with whom you wish to converse, so that you may chat with a user who is not on your buddy list.
Whenever you initiate a conversation, or when another user initiates a conversation with you, a conversation or message window will pop up. The message window contains two text areas. The larger text area on top contains the text of your conversation, and the smaller area on the bottom accepts your input to the conversation. Using the View menu, you can control various aspects of how the conversation is displayed, including whether or not message times are shown. You can also use the options under the Buddy menu to add or remove the user to or from your buddy list, and to get information about the user. If you have a conversation window open, but you are not actively using it when a new message comes in from that user, the conversation window should pop to the front and give you an audible alert. Also, whenever the user's online status changes, this will be reflected in the conversation window.
The SIMP client also allows you to "block" other users from sending you messages and discovering and subscribing to your presence information. Thus, when you block another user, they will no longer be able to receive notification when you come online or go offline. To block a user, you can select their buddy entry and use the Buddy menu from either the "Buddies" or the "Edit Buddies" tab. If you have a conversation window open for that user, you can also use the Buddy menu in the conversation window, or click on the icon in the bottom right corner of the conversation window. When a user is blocked, this will be reflected in both buddy lists, as well as in the icon on the conversation window. To unblock a user, either use the Unblock item under the Buddy menu in either the buddy or conversation window, or click on the icon in the bottom right corner of the conversation window. From the buddy lists, you may also use the SHIFT or CONTROL keys to select multiple buddies, or even select groups, to block or unblock.
Please send bug reports to the simp mailing list simp@linus.mitre.org. You can join the discussion by sending mail to simp-request@linus.mitre.org with a body containing the line "subscribe".