Is Facebook platform necessary?

[William]

I've been using xmpp to connect to Facebook for awhile. The beta now has an actual Facebook account type. When I tried to use this account type, Facebook wanted me to add Adium and enable Facebook platform. Why do this instead of just using straight xmpp? Is there any real benefit? I'd rather show up invisible to all Facebook apps, so I guess I'm going to continue to just use vanilla xmpp.

[zac]

It's XMPP with a custom authentication setup that uses the Apps login system, so you don't have to use a username@etc. Future features may be added that you wouldn't get if you use straight XMPP but for now it's more or less the same.

[William]

What kind of features would require a Facebook app? The custom authentication system adds nothing. You could just as easily ask for someone's facebook ID and create the xmpp username from that.

Is it really worth building this on something as fickle as the Facebook platform when XMPP works great on its own? You wouldn't have to deal with the inevitable unexplained robo-bans facebook is notorious for, for one. Plus, folks like me who have disabled facebook platform because enabling it allows applications your friends have added to access information about you would be happy. Why not build in support like you do google talk?

[zac]

What kind of features would require a Facebook app? The custom authentication system adds nothing. You could just as easily ask for someone's facebook ID and create the xmpp username from that.

Who could say what future features could happen? A return of profile integration into the info window, etc., are likely bets. You need API access to get this information.

How could you create an XMPP ID for a user that doesn't have a FB username?

Is it really worth building this on something as fickle as the Facebook platform when XMPP works great on its own? You wouldn't have to deal with the inevitable unexplained robo-bans facebook is notorious for, for one. Plus, folks like me who have disabled facebook platform because enabling it allows applications your friends have added to access information about you would be happy. Why not build in support like you do google talk?

Feel free to continue to use an XMPP-type account to access the service; you aren't being forced to change. If you were prompted to change, it's likely an old-style Facebook account being migrated over.