anjokid

hi all,

i have decided to create this guide to help people choose

1. the right IM
2. the right IM program from them



ICQ Messenger

Review:

personally i like this messenger ICQ5 LITE is the official program for ICQ can be totally customized to suit moods and desktops. ICQ is used by a lot of people instead of using text address you use numbers e.g. 311779265 this is like a phone number, to some people this can be hard to forget but, to others it may be easier. problems with ICQ include the vast amounts of SPAM you recieve through IM's from people. can be changed by altering settings but, not best for novice computer users. Another great feature has to be the offine messages, friends can leave a message if you are not online and when you log in the message will be displayed. microphone has a click-to-talk function which can become annoying every now and then.

OS: ALL [non-official IM client needed for LINUX computers]

Yahoo Messenger

Review:

again this is a great program too, easier than ICQ but has the same issues with spam for people who are new to the messenger. depending on the version you are using depends if you have a chat room or not. chat rooms ARE available on the US version and the UK version chat room availability is UNAVAILABLE. with yahoo messenger you have preset audio sounds which can be pretty fun and amusing to use between friends. with the IMenviroments available [In Official Yahoo Messenger Client Only] you can do activities as you and your friend talk. yahoo messenger also has a free PC-PC phone call system which is basically as it says, it has a PC-Phone too, but this is not a free service. a great feature about Yahoo is the Super Webcam Mode, which, is almost realtime. from personal experience i have been speaking to friends in USA and its like realtime. another great feature has to be the offine messages, friends can leave a message if you are not online and when you log in the message will be displayed.

OS: ALL [Other clients are available for Linux OS]

MSN Messenger
Review:

this has to be the most popular and the most well known messenger on the internet. there are 3 types of official clients [Windows Messenger, MSN Messenger and Windows Live Messenger] to choose from. you can have custom backgrounds and emoticons which can be shared with your friends and family available online. with this messenger dial-up users who have emoticons will take some time for you to recieve them [if using MSN or Windows Live Messengers] the webcam features are very simple no super webcam mode like in yahoo but, never the less still ok. microphone features are good too, just open mic instead of having to click or press a key.

OS: ALL [Other Clients Available For Linux]

Skype Messenger

this is a great program again too, has basically all the same features of yahoo, but without the hassle of being spammed. this IM isnt used as much as yahoo, but recently with the VOIP take off, skype has earn respect very quickly, with its cheap rates on PC-Phone availablility a lot of users use it because of this.

OS: All

AOL instant messenger

Review:

personally i do not like this messenger, its so basic and annoying, anything from AOL can't be too good. the features are really basic and nothing is their to make it stand out from the crowd, or for that matter get it in the crowd, AIM is like the lonely kid in the playground at school. this IM was good back in the day, but it has seen better days. only idea for AOL internet users.

OS: ALL [other clients available for Linux]

Google Talk
this messenger is a lot like IRC and AIM its very simple and effective... can do what other messengers can do like file sharing webcam, but this is simple effective and i love it, unfortunately not many people use it as the Market is more aimed towards MSN and Yahoo services... non the less sexy IM program.

-=Other Clients=-

Linux:

Gaim
Wine [advanced but use the official clients]

Windows:

Trillian Basic [Highly Reconmended]
Trillian Pro
Global IM
Instan-T
TipicIM

Mac:

Trillian Basic [Highly Reconmended]
Trillian Pro

-=Multiple=-

if you want to do multiple messengers at the same time using trillian Pro you can load up all these IM's plus IRC chat for your favourite server. please see www.trillian.cc for more information.

If using linux, Gaim is ideal for you, it doesn't support Skype but if you are using Mandriva Or Mandrake that will not be a problem

__________________

Chim3ra

Have we forgotten about google talk?

http://talk.google.com

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anjokid

yes purposly as for IRC chat too, googletalk is a beta, and IRC chat could go on forever. i just named some of the most useful and the most common if you like i can add google talk...

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ragugh

kopete in linux (included in some KDE desktops)
http://kopete.kde.org/

Ictinike

I would also like to ad Pidgin IM Client.

Must like Trillian where you can add multiple IM resources supporting:

• AIM
• Bonjour
• Gadu-Gadu
• Google Talk
• Groupwise

• ICQ
• IRC
• MSN
• QQ
• SILC

• SIMPLE
• Sametime
• XMPP
• Yahoo!
• Zephyr

It used be the old GAIM but due to some lawsuits with AoL they dropped the name and now branded a new product Pidgin.

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SpookedJunglist

For those of you who loved some of the olde IM programds you can still download them and with the help fo deadaim you can get rid of the adds that they added.

This site has all versions OF AIM and many other Instant messanger software titles

__________________

ericeod

There is a website that will allow you to log into your IMs without the software. This is great when you are traveling or are at school!

wwwe.meebo.com

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YourBulletWoundHero

Sadly does not work at my school Every time I change it to run threw a different port it jumps to another whenever I try to log on to any IM program...

(Or something like that...But the ports are all blocked to IM's and stuff like that)

Cait Sith Cat

Pidgin is quite possibly the best IM client there is. I've been using AIM 5 for about 4 years, and have permanently switched to Pidgin.

As far as protocols go, jabber(XMPP - generic name) is really amazing. It's the structural equivalent of email, instead of say, a website (It's decentralized). You can get an IM account (like I have) such as "lukehasnoname@jabber.org" and anyone else with an XMPP account (lukehasnoname@gmail.com) can send me an IM on an XMPP client. If I'm not online, it holds the messages until I get back on. No more "Is AIM going to tank?"

gmail accounts have XMPP capabilities. jabber.org is another place where you can get an XMPP account. Pidgin supports many protocols, such as AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, MSN, XMPP, and some others.

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Licht

Yahoo! and Xfire aren't mentioned? Steam messenger, but that doesn't count persay.

Yahoo! has the most features, you can do so many things with your contacts. Helpful things. Draw together, watch videos together, listen to music, share photos, it can translate messages, browse the web together, play games (that don't suck), webcam, voice, voicemail, phone calls too, but those were sort of mandatory. Best looking messenger, with many different looks and colors.

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