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
@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.
@moparisthebest @kemonine My parents are on Ubuntu Linux but are unlikely to use IM in any form.
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.