(OT) Instant Messages

mottlee · #1 November 3rd, 2004, 01:10 PM

OK I know of AOL's one, ICQ, are there others? what one is best?

Thanks

Rasorow · #2 November 3rd, 2004, 02:08 PM

ICQ is real good but spammy, AOL is the one I am usually on, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger also exist. And to bring them all together is Trillian (you either love it or hate it) http://www.trillian.cc/

The best one is the one everyone else you know is Online with. Of course that is the point of Trillian - it will log you into all of the ones I mentioned above and will handle IRC (though I havnt used it for that)

Hope it helps.

Rasorow

Fyron · #3 November 3rd, 2004, 02:20 PM

There is of courser Jabber, which trumps them all...

www.jabber.org

Trillian Pro has a pitiful Jabber plugin, which allows basic functionality but has many problems...

There is also Novell something or other, which is more designed for internal IM networks in large companies and such, so isn't really relevent.

mottlee · #4 November 3rd, 2004, 02:40 PM

Hmmm...nothing said "Download" on the site

Fyron · #5 November 3rd, 2004, 05:17 PM

Jabber is an open protocol which anyone may freely write a client for or even run their own server for, unlike the major IM networks (AIM, Yahoo, etc.). It is not a specific IM program. There is a page listing all sorts of programs with Jabber functionality.

http://www.jabber.org/software/clients.php

Gaim is a multi-server IM client like Trillian, and is totally free. I forget whether it supports Jabber by default or whether you need a plugin for Jabber though...

mottlee · #6 November 3rd, 2004, 05:32 PM

I guess I will stick with ICQ....I do not know software that well....me likes to "Plug-N-Play"

Thanks for all the input

Fyron · #7 November 3rd, 2004, 05:34 PM

Gaim has plugin capability, so there is lots to plug in and play with...

Alneyan · #8 November 3rd, 2004, 06:03 PM

I would recommend Trillian myself; easy to set up, easy to understand, no strings attached. Its main use is if you are using at least two of the five... erh... thingies it supports (ICQ, AIM, MSN, IRC and Yahoo); otherwise, unless you hate the basic ICQ client, it isn't exactly that useful.

And some high praise for Trillian: it takes less time to get up and running than you would need to say "Floccinaucinihilipilification"! Isn't that a great testimony of how convenient this program is? (I am a computer illiterate myself, and hold a party every time I can get my computer to boot without any unexpected problem)

Captain Kwok · #9 November 3rd, 2004, 06:14 PM

I use Trillian's free Version as well. It's ok.

Combat Wombat · #10 November 3rd, 2004, 06:45 PM

I think trillian is a great piece of software even if you just use the free Version.