The Cassilis.net IM service is a node on the world’s largest network of open instant messaging services. The network includes Google Talk, Live Journal Talk, Nimbuzz, Ovi, and thousands of other services run by companies, ISPs, and volunteers around the world (a small list is here). These services all use an open technology called XMPP, which emerged from the original jabber.org server project and has been adopted across the Internet. You can even run your own IM service by downloading one of the many XMPP server codebases! Open technologies are good.