Instant Messaging
- Thread starter Clocker
- Start date
Mickey
Learning Storage Performance
Like handruin, I use Trillian and have done so for maybe the past year or so. It got a bit irritating having to juggle multiple clients when friends all use different IM protocols. I haven't been able to get DC to work properly, but that's a minor annoyance for me. I've used YIM and AIM's clients, too, but much prefer Trillian's simpler interface. Haven't tried Miranda or GAIM yet.
Ars actually had a nice review of alternate clients here.
Ars actually had a nice review of alternate clients here.
Buck
Storage? I am Storage!
I used Trillian for a couple of years and really liked it, I don't use IM clients anymore.
Will Rickards
Storage Is My Life
I use AIM. But I've seen GAIM recommended quite a bit. Never checked it out myself.
blakerwry
Storage? I am Storage!
I use miranda
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
Is anyone else REALLY bothered by the fact that you pretty much have to pick one or other Huge Media Conglomerate's tool when you want to use IM software?
I don't want to support AOL (shudder), Microsoft (shudder) or Yahoo (meh). I don't want to rely on their servers for such a basic type of communication.
But Merc, you say, you rely on Yahoo for your email, don't you?
Sorta, I say. I have my own mail server. Yahoo is just an intermediary. I can unsubscribe any time I want and continue to download my mail from any of the dozen or so other accounts where I get mail.
And that's what I'd prefer for IM. But I can't do that. I can do AOL, MSN or Yahoo. I can use alternative clients but they still run the network.
And IM has been around for a long time - about eight years, I think. Why the hell isn't there an RFC or a standard client? I know there's WORK on a standard client, but in 8 years the progress has been disgustingly minimal, primarily because AOL, MSN and Yahoo are involved in a corporate dick-wagging contest over the standards that cause "interoperable" clients to break on a fairly regular basis.
The internet operates the way it does BECAUSE of standards. IM is a basic technology that has no standard. This is a condition not unlike needing a Verizon phone to call Verizon customers and a Sprint phone to call Sprint customers. In other words, complete and utter bullshit for no technical reason.
I'm amazed that those of you who use ANY IM client continue to put up with it.
I don't want to support AOL (shudder), Microsoft (shudder) or Yahoo (meh). I don't want to rely on their servers for such a basic type of communication.
But Merc, you say, you rely on Yahoo for your email, don't you?
Sorta, I say. I have my own mail server. Yahoo is just an intermediary. I can unsubscribe any time I want and continue to download my mail from any of the dozen or so other accounts where I get mail.
And that's what I'd prefer for IM. But I can't do that. I can do AOL, MSN or Yahoo. I can use alternative clients but they still run the network.
And IM has been around for a long time - about eight years, I think. Why the hell isn't there an RFC or a standard client? I know there's WORK on a standard client, but in 8 years the progress has been disgustingly minimal, primarily because AOL, MSN and Yahoo are involved in a corporate dick-wagging contest over the standards that cause "interoperable" clients to break on a fairly regular basis.
The internet operates the way it does BECAUSE of standards. IM is a basic technology that has no standard. This is a condition not unlike needing a Verizon phone to call Verizon customers and a Sprint phone to call Sprint customers. In other words, complete and utter bullshit for no technical reason.
I'm amazed that those of you who use ANY IM client continue to put up with it.
I guess there hasn't been much I need to put up with. Now that I have a multi-IM capable client (trillian), I don't care so much that I have several IM chat protocols to manage. I understand your point, but I don't get so worked up about that issue.
blakerwry
Storage? I am Storage!
Merc, you are welcome to use Jabber and an OSS client. You can even run your own Jabber server if you wish to have complete control over communication.
Adcadet
Storage Freak
hmmm....yeah, my first year of college - 1997 - is when ICQ really started to take off (from what I saw). Funny how fast time has flown. Back then everybody used ICQ and nothing else. And ICQ didn't even have adds. Those were the days.
sechs
Storage? I am Storage!
ICQ? I remember having to use ytalk to "instant" message with people.
ICQ really WAS the one and only in IM hey. I'm still on, nobody else really is. In response to the origional question. The networks are all much of a muchness. The question you should be asking is where are the bulk of people you will want to be IMing? All my friends use MSN, so I reluctantly use that. Personally I think it sucks, I mean, wtf? No offline messages? Hello? HELLO? ICQ kinda sucks these days. If you're lonely, just go onto the IRC networks, they are great for meeting randoms.
The JoJo
Wannabe Storage Freak
Doh, and I the only one here who put up his own Domino server and the Sametime on top of that for IM? 
Sametime is quite nice, altough a bit slow for desktop sharing in my opinion (haven't tried others, do they have this feature?)
Sametime is quite nice, altough a bit slow for desktop sharing in my opinion (haven't tried others, do they have this feature?)
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
sechs said:
Oh yeah, well I had to get by with ntalk for like two days until someone got around to compiling ytalk.
Howell
Storage? I am Storage!
I had to use TELL. We didn't have a unix box. uphill, in the snow, both way
At work we use Sametime.
At work we use Sametime.
ddrueding
Fixture
I actually still use "net send" and the messanger service for interfacing with a POS foxpro app....
I am also a fan of Trillian Pro (paid version). I have a presence on MSN, ICQ, Yahoo and AIM and need a client that handles them all as none of my friends seem to use the same messenger. Used it for years.
Hear good things about Miranda too. If I ever ditch Trillian that will be the first thing I check out.
Hear good things about Miranda too. If I ever ditch Trillian that will be the first thing I check out.
sechs
Storage? I am Storage!
Mercutio said:
ntalk? I remember having to use plain ol' talk!
Cerulean Studios must have just released a new version of trillian. I haven't been to their site in a while and now I see version 3 (mine is 0.74 w/patch I). I went to download and download.com says it was added Dec 20th... Time to try it out.
Clocker, all I can find is basically the same...video chat. There are a couple other things that pro supports...jabber, Novell® GroupWise® Messenger, and Rendezvous.
Clocker, all I can find is basically the same...video chat. There are a couple other things that pro supports...jabber, Novell® GroupWise® Messenger, and Rendezvous.
Fushigi
Storage Is My Life
I use a phone to IM people. That way I'm not dependent on their online status. Spent an hour IMing with dad last night.
Spent an hour IMing with dad last night.Mickey
Learning Storage Performance
Using a phone gets expensive when "chatting" with my Aussie penpal. IM is much cheaper.
And thanks for the heads-up on the update to Trillian, handruin. DC finally works with AIM for me. The new UI will take some adjustment for me, though.
IM is much cheaper.And thanks for the heads-up on the update to Trillian, handruin. DC finally works with AIM for me. The new UI will take some adjustment for me, though.
I havn't updated trillian in a while, still using 2.013 Pro. I was only updating when one of the IM services changes things to lock out third party's. Looks like their website it totally different now too, wonder if they are still suporting the 2.xx versions like they said they would. At first glance I can't see update downloads for 2.xx.
Yes I totally think it sucks that there is no standardized system, but for offline messages it has to be cached somewhere so I don't see that hapening anytime soon.
Yes I totally think it sucks that there is no standardized system, but for offline messages it has to be cached somewhere so I don't see that hapening anytime soon.
GMac
Learning Storage Performance
Just upgraded my free Trillian (.74) to the new version (which bears a close resemblence to Trillian Pro version 2), and everything seems to work OK thus far......
GM
GM