diff --git a/comm/README b/comm/README
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+++ b/comm/README
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+
+Various parts of the groworld multplayer communcation infrastructure
+preliminary notes can be found online at -> 
+http://lib.fo.am/groworld_multiplayer_prototype#network_protocol
+
+;; exmaple chat client
+
+(require "xmpp.scm")
+
+(define (read-input prompt)
+  (display prompt)
+  (read-line (current-input-port)))
+
+(define (chat)
+  (let ((jid  (read-input "jid: "))
+        (pass (read-input "password: "))
+        (to   (read-input "chat with: ")))
+    (with-xmpp-session jid pass 
+                       (set-xmpp-handler 'message print-message)
+                       (let loop ()                         
+                         (let ((msg (read-line (current-input-port))))
+                           (send (message to msg))
+                           (loop))))))
+
diff --git a/comm/examples.scm b/comm/examples.scm
new file mode 100644
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--- /dev/null
+++ b/comm/examples.scm
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+#lang scheme
+
+;; exmaple chat client
+
+(require "xmpp.scm")
+
+(define (read-input prompt)
+  (display prompt)
+  (read-line (current-input-port)))
+
+(define (chat)
+  (let ((jid  (read-input "jid: "))
+        (pass (read-input "password: "))
+        (to   (read-input "chat with: ")))
+    (with-xmpp-session jid pass 
+                       (set-xmpp-handler 'message print-message)
+                       (let loop ()                         
+                         (let ((msg (read-line (current-input-port))))
+                           (send (message to msg))
+                           (loop))))))
+
+
+
diff --git a/comm/xmpp.scm b/comm/xmpp.scm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9c7b70c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/comm/xmpp.scm
@@ -0,0 +1,290 @@
+;;; A basic XMPP library which should conform to RFCs 3920 and 3921
+;;;
+;;; Copyright (C) 2009 FoAM vzw. LGPL.
+;;;
+;;; Authors 
+;;;
+;;;  nik gaffney <nik@fo.am>
+;;;
+;;; Requirements
+;;;
+;;;  PLT for now.
+;;;
+;;; Commentary
+;;;
+;;;  Still a long way from implementing even a minimal subset of XMPP
+;;; 
+;;;  features implemented
+;;;   - establish plaintext connections on port 5222
+;;;   - partial "old sytle" ssl connections on port 5223
+;;;   - authenticate using an existing account
+;;;   - send messages (rfc 3921 sec.4)
+;;;   - send presence (rfc 3921 sec.5)
+;;;   - parse (some) xml reponses from server
+;;;   - handlers for responses
+;;;
+;;;  features to implement
+;;;   - account creation
+;;;   - managing subscription (rfc 3921 sec.6)
+;;;   - rosters (rfc 3921 sec.7)
+;;;   - plaintext/ssl/tls negotiation (rfc 3920 sec.5 & 6)
+;;;   - encrypted connections using tls on port 5222
+;;;   - correct namespaces in sxml
+;;;   - message types
+;;;   - maintain session ids
+;;;   - maintain threads
+;;;   - error handling
+;;;   - events
+;;;   - [...]
+;;;   - rfc 3920 
+;;;   - rfc 3921
+;;;
+;;; bugs and/or improvements
+;;;   - read-async & repsonse-handler
+;;;   - ssax:xml->sxml or lazy:xml->sxml
+;;;   - default handlers
+;;;   - ssl read/write sequence
+;;;   - chatbot exmples
+;;;
+
+(module xmpp scheme
+
+  (provide (all-defined-out)
+           ;open-connection
+           ;open-ssl-connection
+           ;with-xmpp-session
+           )
+  
+ 
+  (require (planet lizorkin/sxml:2:1/sxml))
+  (require (planet lizorkin/ssax:2:0/ssax))
+  (require mzlib/os)
+  (require mzlib/defmacro)
+  (require scheme/tcp)
+  (require openssl)
+  (require srfi/13)
+  
+  ;;;;;;;;;;; ; ;;;;  ;   ;;; ;    ; ;;     ;
+  ;;
+  ;; networking
+  ;;
+  ;;;;;; ;;  ;;  ;  ; ;   ;
+  
+  (define port 5222)
+  (define ssl-port 5223)
+
+  (define ssl-write-flag #t) ;; semaphore for half-duplex ssl 
+
+  (define (ssl-write b)
+    (set! ssl-write-flag b))  
+  
+  (define (open-connection machine port handler)
+    (let-values (((in out)
+                  (tcp-connect machine port))) 
+      (handler in out)
+      (close-output-port out)
+      (close-input-port in)))
+  
+  (define (open-ssl-connection machine port handler)
+    (let-values (((in out)
+                  (ssl-connect machine port 'tls)))
+      (handler in out)
+      (close-output-port out)
+      (close-input-port in)))
+  
+  (define (read-async in)
+    (define bstr (make-bytes 0 0))
+    (when (byte-ready? in)
+      (if (eq? (peek-byte in) eof)
+          (break-thread (current-thread))
+          (begin
+            (set! bstr (bytes-append bstr 
+                                     (make-bytes 1 (read-byte in)) 
+                                     (read-async in)))))) bstr)
+
+  (define ssxml srl:sxml->xml-noindent) 
+  
+  ;;;;;; ; ; ;      ;   ;; ;;;;;; ;
+  ;;
+  ;; XMPP stanzas
+  ;;
+  ;;;;;;;;;; ;;;  ;  ;;   ;  ;
+  
+  ;; intialization
+  (define (xmpp-stream host) 
+    (string-append "<?xml version='1.0'?><stream:stream xmlns:stream='http://etherx.jabber.org/streams' to='" host "' xmlns='jabber:client'>"))
+
+  ;; authentication
+  (define (xmpp-auth username password resource)
+    (ssxml `(iq (@ (type "set") (id "auth")) 
+                (query (@ (xmlns "jabber:iq:auth")) 
+                       (username ,username) 
+                       (password ,password)
+                       (resource ,resource)))))
+
+  (define (xmpp-session host)
+    (ssxml `(iq (@ (to ,host) (type "set") (id "session")) 
+                (session (@ (xmlns "urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:xmpp-session")))))) 
+  
+  (define (starttls) "<starttls xmlns='urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:xmpp-tls'/>")
+  
+   ;; messages
+  (define (message to body)
+    (ssxml `(message (@ (to ,to)) (body ,body))))
+
+  ;; presence
+  (define (presence #:from (from "") 
+                    #:to (to "") 
+                    #:type (type "") 
+                    #:show (show "") 
+                    #:status (status ""))
+    (cond ((not (string=? status ""))
+           (ssxml `(presence (@ (type "probe")) (status ,status))))
+          ((string=? type "") "<presence/>")
+          (else (ssxml `(presence (@ (type ,type)))))))
+  
+  
+  ;; curried stanza disection (sxml stanza -> string)
+  (define ((sxpath-element xpath) stanza) 
+    (let ((node ((sxpath xpath) stanza)))
+      (if (empty? node) "" (car node))))
+  
+  ;; message 
+  (define message-from (sxpath-element "message/@from/text()"))
+  (define message-to (sxpath-element "message/@to/text()"))
+  (define message-id (sxpath-element "message/@id/text()"))
+  (define message-type (sxpath-element "message/@type/text()"))
+  (define message-body (sxpath-element "message/body/text()"))
+  (define message-subject (sxpath-element "message/subject/text()"))
+
+  ;; info/query
+  (define iq-type (sxpath-element "iq/@type/text()"))
+  (define iq-id (sxpath-element "iq/@id/text()"))
+  (define iq-error-type (sxpath-element "iq/error/@type/text()"))
+  (define iq-error-text (sxpath-element "iq/error/text()"))
+  (define iq-error (sxpath-element "iq/error"))
+
+  ;; presence
+  (define presence-show (sxpath-element "presence/show/text()"))
+  (define presence-from (sxpath-element "presence/@from/text()"))
+  (define presence-status (sxpath-element "presence/status/text()"))
+
+  
+  ;;;;;;;;; ; ;; ; ; ;;  ;;    ;  ;
+  ;;
+  ;; parsing & message/iq/error handlers
+  ;;  - minimal parsing
+  ;;  - handlers match on a tag (eg. 'message)
+  ;;  - handlers are called with a single relevant xmpp stanza 
+  ;;
+  ;;;;;; ;;  ; ; ;;  ;
+  
+  (define xmpp-handlers (make-hash)) ;; a hash of tags and functions (possibly extend to using sxpaths)
+    
+  (define (set-xmpp-handler type fcn)
+    (dict-set! xmpp-handlers type fcn))
+  
+  (define (run-xmpp-handler type sz)
+    (let ((fcn (dict-ref xmpp-handlers type #f))) 
+      (when fcn (begin
+                  (display (format "attempting to run handler ~a.~%" fcn))
+                  (fcn sz)))))
+    
+  ;; no real parsing yet. dispatches any received xml stanzas as sxml
+  
+  (define (parse-xmpp-response str)
+    (when (> (string-length str) 0)
+      (newline)
+      (let ((sz (ssax:xml->sxml (open-input-string (clean str)) '())))
+        ;;(let ((sz (lazy:xml->sxml (open-input-string str) '())))
+        (cond
+          ((equal? '(null) (cadr sz)) 
+           (newline))
+          ((equal? 'message (caadr sz))
+           (run-xmpp-handler 'message sz))
+          ((equal? 'iq (caadr sz)) 
+           (run-xmpp-handler 'iq sz))
+          ((equal? 'presence (caadr sz)) 
+           (run-xmpp-handler 'presence sz))
+          (else (run-xmpp-handler 'unknown sz))))))
+  
+  ;; example handlers to print stanzas or their contents
+  (define (print-message sz)
+    (display (format "a ~a message from ~a which says '~a.'~%" (message-type sz) (message-from sz) (message-body sz))))
+    
+  (define (print-iq sz)
+   (display (format "an iq response of type '~a' with id '~a.'~%" (iq-type sz) (iq-id sz))))
+
+  (define (print-presence sz)
+    (display (format " p-r-e-s-e-n-e-c--> ~a is ~a" (presence-from sz) (presence-status))))
+  
+  (define (print-stanza sz)
+    (display (format "? ?? -> ~%~a~%" sz))) 
+  
+  ;; QND hack to filter out anything not a message, iq or presence
+  (define (clean str)
+    (let ((test (substring str 0 3)))
+    (cond ((string-ci=? test "<me") str)
+          ((string-ci=? test "<iq") str)
+          ((string-ci=? test "<pr") str)
+          (else "<null/>"))))
+
+  ;; repsonse handler
+  (define (xmpp-response-handler in)
+    (thread (lambda () 
+              (let loop () 
+                (when ssl-write-flag
+                  (parse-xmpp-response (bytes->string/utf-8 (read-async in))))
+                (sleep 0.1)
+                (loop)))))
+
+  ;; ideally something like this would work.. . 
+  (define (xmmp-read-stanza in)
+    (parse-xmpp-response (read-line in)))
+  
+  ;; jid splicing (assuming the jid is in the format user@host/resource)
+  (define (jid-user jid)
+    (string-take jid (string-index jid #\@)))
+ 
+  (define (jid-host jid)
+    (let* ((s (string-take-right jid (- (string-length jid) (string-index jid #\@) 1)))
+           (v (string-index s #\/)))
+      (if v (string-take s v) s )))
+    
+  (define (jid-resource jid)
+    (let ((r (jid-resource-0 jid)))
+      (if (void? r) (gethostname) r)))
+
+  (define (jid-resource-0 jid)
+    (let ((v (string-index jid #\/)))
+      (when v (string-take-right jid (- (string-length jid) v 1)))))    
+  
+  ;;;;  ;; ; ; ;; ;;   ;;;; ;
+  ;;
+  ;; interfaces
+  ;;
+  ;;;;; ;; ;;;;   ;   ;;  ;
+
+  (defmacro with-xmpp-session (jid pass . body)
+    `(let ((host (jid-host ,jid))
+           (user (jid-user ,jid))
+           (resource (jid-resource ,jid)))
+       (let-values (((in out)
+                     ;;(ssl-connect host ssl-port 'tls)))
+                     (tcp-connect host port)))
+         (define (send str) (fprintf out "~A~%" str))
+         (file-stream-buffer-mode out 'line)
+         (xmpp-response-handler in) 
+         (send (xmpp-stream host))
+         (send (xmpp-session host))
+         ;(send starttls)
+         (send (xmpp-auth user ,pass resource))
+         (send (presence))
+         (send (presence #:status "Available"))                    
+         ,@body
+         (close-output-port out)
+         (close-input-port in))))
+
+
+) ;; end module
+