[JDEV] Starting a jabber type client for my customers

[Wong, Charles]

I’m not sure if this question is appropriate for the level of technicality going on in this list. Anyhow, I’d like to develop a jabber type client for my customers using C++ WITHOUT having to use any of those pre-built APIs. Is it extremely hard to start from scratch or should I just take the easy way out and use someone else’s library? If I were to take the scratch route then how would I even start it? Please give me some pointers! Thanks in advance!