For Others.
iChat can chat to different Buddies in three Buddy lists.
The Window called Buddy List is the one for your @mac and AIM Buddies and if closed can be called up by pressing the Apple key 1 together.
There is a window called Bonjour that can be brought up by Apple and 2
Other "Buddies" can only appear in this list if the Mac has other Macs it can contact on the Same LAN
The final "Buddy List" is titled Jabber and can join the Jabber service of which GoogleTalk is one such server. It is called up by using Apple Key + 3
To use the Main Buddy list you have to have a AIM or @mac Screen name
To use the Jabber on you have to have a valid Jabber ID
The Bonjour List does not need a Screen name as such but is generated by the Name you have on the My card in the Address Book.
When you have OS X Server then it has what is called an iChat Server which is actually a Jabber server and Jabber ID's are created for that server. (this may or may not be a Public server) It is used mainly as an In-house alternative to Bonjour as it will not be so reliant on Mascs being in the same LAN or Subnet.
Now some Public Jabber servers also run what are called "Transports" These can Connect a Jabber ID over the Jabber network to other IM Services like MSN and Yahoo. Some do them to AIM as well so it is possible with the use a a second AIM screen name to chat to what is effectively another AIM buddy list.
On the whole Jabber A/V chats using their Own Jingle protocol (Different to the AIM/iChat A/V protocols) are very few and far between at present. NOR can iChat A/V connect over this protocol.
What you can do with the Jabber Buddy List is A/V chat to other iChat users as this invokes the same protocols as the AIM buddy list does.
Effectively the A/V part of iChat is separate from the Buddy list. The Buddy lists only Identify where and who you are contacting not the process of connecting and A/V chatting.
11:48 PM Thursday; September 20, 2007