It's pretty easy to install ejabberd and configure a few accounts, 
apt-get install ejabberd and http to the right port for it for config. 
With pidgin you can simply point a jabber account to the server and off 
you go.

Bit more complexity with some dns work gets you confederation ability 
(i.e. talk to gmail.com - need service record, not hard if you have dns 
hosting on a domain or run in internally).  Clients will work without a 
server then too.

-mb


On 02/13/2012 09:42 AM, Sam Kreimeyer wrote:
> You could create an ad-hoc solution with netcat
> http://techie-buzz.com/foss/create-chat-server-netcat.html
>
> Might not be as streamlined as what you have in mind, but definitely old
> school.
>
> On Fri, Feb 10, 2012 at 12:56 PM, <joe@actionline.com
> <mailto:joe@actionline.com>> wrote:
>
>
>     Sorry ... investigating a little further, I see that I posted a similar
>     question previously and received several replies.  But I was never
>     able to
>     get anything to work.  So, I'll re-read the previous responses to try to
>     find a solution.
>
>     Joe
>
>      > How can one set up a simple 'chat' with Linux?
>      >
>      > Many years ago, on my original unix system, I had a very simple
>     command
>      > line chat utility that worked very well - very simple and very
>     efficient.
>      > I could just establish a simple modem connection with another
>     user and at
>      > the command line type: chat michael <E> and my friend michael and
>     I could
>      > begin typing back and forth on the command line. Everything that
>     both of
>      > us typed was then saved (or appended as an option) to a
>     designated file.
>      >
>      > Is there any similar utility or capability available with Linux
>     today?
>      >
>      > Or, alternatively, what is the best/simplest/easiest way to achieve a
>      > similar result?
>      >
>      > I searched and found /usr/sbin/chat on my system, but I cannot
>     find a man
>      > page for it and I cannot tell that it does anything.
>      >
>      > We see a variety of "chat" utilities on various commercial
>     websites (none
>      > as simple and efficient as the old unix 'chat' that I used in the
>     past,
>      > but what options are available now?
>      >
>      >
>      >
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