(OT) Instant Messages

[mottlee]

OK I know of AOL's one, ICQ, are there others? what one is best? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/confused.gif Thanks http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

[Rasorow]

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]

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

www.jabber.org (http://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. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[mottlee]

Hmmm...nothing said "Download" on the site http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

[Fyron]

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 (http://gaim.sourceforge.net/) 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]

I guess I will stick with ICQ....I do not know software that well....me likes to "Plug-N-Play" http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif Thanks for all the input http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[Fyron]

Gaim has plugin capability, so there is lots to plug in and play with... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Alneyan]

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]

I use Trillian's free Version as well. It's ok. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

[Combat Wombat]

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

[David E. Gervais]

I use MSN Messenger 6.2 fir my instant messaging needs, and Trillian for going to the #spaceempires lurker lounge. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/tongue.gif

simple, and they work well for me.

Cheers! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[mottlee]

Heck, I guess the main "Reason" I wanted another is 'cause I'm nosiy Hell ICQ is off more than on http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

[EaX]

Well, you've no idea how happy i'm to see someone who uses ICQ, over here where i live, everyone uses MSN http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif, don't matter what they said ICQ is far better than anyother IM.

[mottlee]

LOL...I now have Yahoo messenger on now http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/eek.gif

[Suicide Junkie]

ICQ for pseudo-email when they're away.
IRC for group stuff.
the others for at the moment stuff.

[Combat Wombat]

I tried to install ICQ once but it screwed up windows granted I was using ME at the time but it still soured my view of ICQ and I have never bothered to try again.

[mottlee]

Hmmm...ME...That is what I am running..so far no trouble, give it a shot again, I am running ICQ Lite I do not know the difference between the two

[Alneyan]

ICQ Lite is the smaller client, with fewer features of world-shattering once-in-a-lifetime importance, such as SMS support. I would certainly advise to use ICQ Lite, unless you really need a single program to attempt to do everything you might ever need, from making coffeee to deciphering my Posts.

[Aiken]

I use Miranda IM. Nice OSS multinetworking client, extensible through plugins.

It doesn't have plugin to decipher cryptic Posts, though http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

[mottlee]

I see I am going to need to pull out my encryption software http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif