I am developing my own chat server at the moment it's about 70 - 80% complete and will be getting ready to launch it in the next few weeks, i already have it up in test stages..
At the moment to test it you would need y!mlite (until i have chance to write a dedicated client)...
It supports FriendsLists, so it could be used as a pager based system and it can support quite a wide range of features..
OK when it's ready to be released, there will be 3 versions, personal version which will host say 20 users and an medium standard a cross between personal and enterprise...
http://chat-help.co.uk/~ymlite to get y!mlite if you wish to test it...
When you run it, do as follows...
1. Menu (Top left corner of the screen) click on "Yahoo"
2. Click on "Create Sparter Account"
Enter any username it's pretty empty right now, so you could have god if you wished, but by the time you get there it's probably taken...
Enter a password for the ID you just created
Age: Make SURE you put in over 18, as this version allows no minors on the system...
When it's succesfully created the account...
Menu > Yahoo > Login...
o YMSG
o DHTML
o YCHT
(X) SPRT
Click on SPRT the bottom one..
Enter your username
Enter your Password
Login, and you're on the server...
100% FREE of charge to use as much as you like no strings attached, but if you wish to own a copy of this server so you can host your own REAL TIME conversations and where you get to be the moderater and ban users and kick them off, please contact me for more details my email address is on y!mlite's homepage...