Community Newsletter: Q&A: 3/3/06 What's the best instant messenger?
- 3/2/06 6:50 PM
Go "Unified" !
by JeffPGMT - 3/3/06 2:13 AM In reply to: 3/3/06 What's the best instant messenger? by Marc Bennett
I don't think that you don't have to download the messenger's application to register, and many people who have Yahoo or MS Passports already have IM as an option and for heaven's sake don't run mulitple clients, when one of the ''All in Wonder'' clients like Trillian enables you to have ONE IM window. You will know what service a buddy is on by the color of their icon.
For a first time user, I'd say go simple, these IM clients tend to auto-start and having fewer programs that auto-load the better. Another benefit of not running the standard client application is the absense of all the popup windows and tickers. I use Trillian, the free version and skype for voice. I regularly communicate on AIM, MSN, Yahoo services all in one window with one buddy list.
going unified...
by bigandybear - 3/3/06 3:23 AM In reply to: Go "Unified" ! by JeffPGMTi've got friends on all networks, and i agree with you - go unified.
some of these programmes, however, are dire.
i moved to the Mac platform completely (finally ditched my forever-crashing xp box) a few weeks ago, and have moved to Adium (www.adiumx.com), which is fantastic.
i know that c|net, as a whole, is pretty much a "windows fanboy club" 
, but if there are any mac users reading this, try it.
you won't regret it.
GAIM
by libkitty - 3/3/06 4:35 PM In reply to: going unified... by bigandybearI've not used Trillium, but have been very pleased with GAIM. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but it is stable and works well for chat.
One thing that wasn't mentioned in the winning response is that the AOL, Microsoft and Yahoo products are all miserable to uninstall from your computer. My niece installed all three on my old computer when she was visiting, and it took me hours to get the latter two off my computer. I never was able to get rid of AIM on that computer.
is TRILLIAN the best?
by eecoff - 3/3/06 6:52 AM In reply to: Go "Unified" ! by JeffPGMTHi,
I use Trillian and Skype for voice too... you should also try voipstunt if you use the Skypeout functionality www.voipstunt.com is great and almost free!
Has anyone compared TRILLIAN to GAIM? I read a post about lower performance of Trillian, although I've used it for about 4 years and it has always worked well (except for some glitches during version changes). I miss the voice and video functionality but I can live without it. Is there an application out there with all the bells and whistles?
i use trillian
by Fr33ag3nt - 3/3/06 5:04 PM In reply to: is TRILLIAN the best? by eecoffand i love it no pop ups simple gots my aim icq yahoo and hotmaill all in one
The Best!
by jorgelan - 3/3/06 9:40 AM In reply to: Go "Unified" ! by JeffPGMTI agree 100%, Trillian and Skype are the perfect pair.
I've tried all IM's around, and this is it! Trillian. I stay in touch with ICQ, MSN, YAHOO and AIM contacts in one IM, no hassels, no pop-ups, no problem!
I recommend very much that combination, Trillian for messaging and Skype for Calls.
Best wishes!
Apple users: try Adium
by alistaire - 3/3/06 8:47 PM In reply to: Go "Unified" ! by JeffPGMTFor any Apple users, I would highly recommend Adium, a free "unified" chat program based off of Gaim. It is by far the best I have ever used, particularly because of its flexibility: you can change sounds, emoticons, buddy list setup, aliases, message window format, and on and on. With a little patience, you can make it perfect for you. The Adium website is very helpful in this regard, providing many plugins, also all free.
I recommend it over iChat for everything but voice and video chats (Adium does some voice chats, but no video, and not as seamlessly as iChat in my experience). For all its flexibility, Adium is still very user-friendly, even for someone without a lot of IM experience.
If you have an Apple (which I also highly recommend), this is an essential program.
www.adiumx.com
Instant Messenger
by scubajon - 3/3/06 3:13 AM In reply to: 3/3/06 What's the best instant messenger? by Marc Bennett
There are also other ways to contact regular friends and buddys. MSN Messenger is one and there are others but they all basically work the same way. You download their software and install it. Then, like the others you make sure your friends are on the same network and you can chat all day if you wish. Unlike the other instant messenger services, you can also use voice chat with messenger. All you need is a microphone and the facility to voice chat is on the menu, which you select, and away you go. This service is also free and is nearly as good as ViOP which is becoming popular, but that's another story. It's worth thinking about if your friends are on it as only they and you can see each other so you will get no interruptions from strangers butting in (which they do from time to time) Hope this helps and gives you an alternative. Scubajon
Trend to convergence once again!
by mcneillr - 3/3/06 3:16 AM In reply to: 3/3/06 What's the best instant messenger? by Marc Bennett
I think I had a Yahoo! IM account(but it may have been AOL) several years ago, then after it died from lack of use I started to use MSN Messenger. Late last year I saw an announcement by MS & Yahoo that their respective IM products would move to a standard messaging format. I've recently seen Yahoo! people via MSN (here in Oz), so it seems it's working to some extent. I'm all for 3rd party software (i.e. the little guys), it seems they may be driving the show by making the bigger messengers communicate. There will always be feature differences as each vendor tries to out-do the others - hooray! As a software developer I find the ability to easily swith to Remote Assistance for my XP using customers a great benefit - the hardest thing is getting them on a suitable passport 
!
Which one to use? This is becoming less of a issue, but the main driver for me has always been who else (I know or think I want to know) is there? Hard to tell until you've tried. It's hard to make an actual mistake here, so go for whatever takes your fancy.
One last plus - well before VoIP I held audio conversations with my Aussie customers over a dial up from my mother's condo in Vancouver. They were thrilled! I've not pushed my webcam use because I value not having to shave or put on a tie before I start work. IM to mobile/cell and back could be interesting, but until it's melded with SMS (it probably will be) and the costs are reasonable (hey - we're talking a few 100 bytes per message, not Kbytes or Mbytes!) I'll stick with my SMS web provider.
My experiences have all been positive - but there must be some negatives, so let's hear them (please).
R.
ICQ Is Separate Channel, But Owned By AOL
by pmchefalo - 3/3/06 3:50 AM In reply to: 3/3/06 What's the best instant messenger? by Marc Bennett
Not a significant point, probably, but one shouldn't shy away from ICQ thinking it's a fly-by-night system.
ICQ Fly-by-night?
by angrykeyboarder - 3/3/06 4:13 AM In reply to: ICQ Is Separate Channel, But Owned By AOL by pmchefaloBefore AIM, Yahoo! and MSN Messengers even existed. ICQ was *it* when it came to instant messaging.
Only a few years *after* AOL created ICQ (which it was still lagging behind in popularity at the time) did they buy Mirabilis, then the parent company of ICQ.
Within a few years AOL had migrated ICQ from it's own networks to the same Network AOL uses and then allowed AIM and ICQ users to communicate with one another.
ICQ became increasingly bloated over the years. An attempt a few years ago to more-or-less start over with new software produced another bloated client of a different kind.
Most ICQ old-timers use other software these days to connect to the network (Trillian, Gaim, Kopete, Miranda, etc).
The latest version of AIM *finally* has a feature that ICQ has had from the very beginning (MSN and Yahoo! have had it too). It's the ability to log your conversations. Previously AIM was the only software lacking this function. One has always been able to do it with the non-AIM clients though.
The downside to the new feature in AIM is that the software has become more and more bloated. They keep adding mostly useless junk to it and now it even forces you to install "AIM Explorer", which is just a pretty front end for Microsoft Internet Explorer.
But I digress...
Chat with ALL your friends in one program!
by DuhStorm - 3/3/06 3:55 AM In reply to: 3/3/06 What's the best instant messenger? by Marc Bennett
Having been an internet nut since 1992, Trillian was an answer to a prayer. With Trillian IM, I am able to chat with ALL my friends, regardless of the program they use, in one window. The program imports your friends from any existing programs you have accounts with, so nothing changes from the receiver's side and set up is a snap. Are the bells and whistles as snazzy? Nahhh, but those all get old in about a week anyway.
Lori
I completly agree, Trillan is the solution.
by Mendieta - 3/4/06 2:01 AM In reply to: Chat with ALL your friends in one program! by DuhStormWith Trillian you can chat with ICQ, AIM, Yahoo, AOL & IRC users, all with just one application & one contact list, why will someone use more than one program?
And if you want Video chat too, just get the Paid version.
What is the problem with using your real name?
by saulbejarano - 3/3/06 4:41 AM In reply to: 3/3/06 What's the best instant messenger? by Marc Bennett
I still do not get it, why all the secrecy about using your real name on MSN chats, your name is on the yellow pages as well as your telephone number, your address and many other information, why would it make a difference not to use your real name?
Can you explain please?
regards,
Saul B.
The less identity you throw out there, the better
by kschang - 3/3/06 8:39 AM In reply to: What is the problem with using your real name? by saulbejaranoOne reason, somewhat humorous, is using your real name is a headache because some people who don't understand the Internet will give you trouble.
The Net-Talkshow Host David Lawrence of Online Tonight was harassed by a granny because his screenname on AOL was Lawrence. And this granny keeps want to contact her nephew Lawrence, but keep getting David Lawrence instead, and no amount of explanation will convince her that the screenname is NOT the same as the actual name. She thought she could get "her" Lawrence on chat just by typing "Lawrence" into the "talk to" field.
Seriously though, some people fill out profile info without realizing it's not necessary, and it gives ID thieves a lot to to work on. The less you put out to the public, the less they have to work with. NOT using your realname is a start, as it's harder to relate the info back to you.
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