Babylon Chat is a Java client/server combination which can be used to chat over the Internet or local networks. Anyone can run a Babylon client or server, so you can host lots of guests on your own computer, or you can join in on someone else's session. The client can be used as a Java applet, so it's simple to add chat functionality to your web site.

The program's premier feature is its whiteboard drawing utility. You can draw freehand, do circles, squares, lines, fonted text, or paste image files to the canvas. This is ideal when users want to "sketch" concepts for one another. Users can interact publicly with everyone else on the server, or they can chat/draw privately using Babylon Chat's "whisper mode". Users can create and manage chat rooms, which can be either "public" or "private". The server will also store and manage answering machine-style messages for users who aren't online, and instant messages can be sent to those who are. Additionally, users who aren't watching their screens can be paged with sound.