OK, time for me to make an apology.
I hadn't used XMPP for quite a while. While I liked it last time I used it there were issues keeping connections and the clients were less than stellar.
While the desktop clients for Linux are still a little shaky I can recommend Quicksy (thank you @moparisthebest for the recommendation).
I've been crabby when people recommend XMPP because I didn't realize that folks have taken XMPP from an early 21st century protocol to a joy to use.
@craigmaloney capheind@jabber.sdf.org just sayin
despite the modernization work it's still a PITA and not nearly as friendly as alternatives on windows
@kemonine Eh, my friends suffered through my Jami experiment, so I have hope. This isn't something I'd deploy to my parents, who barely use a smart phone.
I can't really recommend any windows clients because I can't recommend windows...
@moparisthebest @kemonine My parents are on Ubuntu Linux but are unlikely to use IM in any form.
And sorry if I came off a little harsh earlier, if you have any questions about XMPP in general, feel free to reach out!
I use Dino on the desktop, and Conversations on android.
We'll see how it handles in the outside world and if it passes the friends and family test, but I'm quite pleased so far.