C++ XMPP Client Library – gloox
It seems that the auditing of a new IRC server at The Shop is too much to think of adding at this point - given that they have an existing XMPP/Jabber system that's up and running and working just fine. So rather than mess with using the IRC stuff I've used in the past, it looks like I'm off into the world of XMPP and Jabber. Thankfully, there seems to be more client libraries than you can shake a stick at. Including C++.
The one I'm looking at initially is called gloox, and looks to be a reasonable well done library, but I haven't even tried to build it - let alone use it. Still, it looks reasonably well defined and designed, and I'll need to get it, read through the code to see how it's commented and built. If it looks good, I'll use it until it doesn't work. I'll be certain to isolate it nicely so that should I need to replace it, it'll be easy enough to do later.
Still... it looks promising and it means that I don't have to hassle with implementing a new chat protocol. But it might have been nice... I'll never know.