[clue] IRC or Jabber server.

[David L. Anselmi]

I'd like to set up a chat server, mainly for kids.

Is that like email where everyone now uses a free service?  Which ones?

If you were going to run an IRC server, which would you use?

Is there a way to restrict who can join the IRC channels?

Do you use Jabber, and would you prefer that to IRC?

I don't particularly care to have these chats going through someone else's server so I may run my 
own, even if there are lots of great ways to have someone else do it.

Thanks!
Dave