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Nederfox.
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July 6, 2001 at 10:40 pm #8108
Fanatic
MemberWhat makes the perfect instant messenger? CNET took a stab at it, and came up with this “top ten” wish list:
10. Ad-free instant messaging Need we say more? Have you EVER clicked on an IM ad?
9. Subscription-based messengers Would you pay for reliable, ad-free service?
8. Built-in Webcam support Of course, Yahoo is now offering this in their latest IM product, and Microsoft has promised it. Is this the next big thing in IM?
7. Reliable Mac alternatives C’mon, how many Mac users are there, really?
6. Support for mobile devices It’s interesting to get an IM on your cell phone, but do we need it? Hmmm…
5. Buddy list persmissions Ok, several IMs already allow you to require others to get your permission before they add you to their buddy list, but why don’t ALL IMs do this? Seems like a no-brainer!
4. Reverse buddy lists An interesting idea… this would let you see who has you on THEIR buddy list, and even remove yourself if you wanted. I may not want you to know when I’m online!
3. Server-based contact lists I like them, and CNET flubbed their facts; Odigo 3.0 actually DOES have server-based contact lists. But some people don’t like the idea of AOL or Microsoft knowing who you have on YOUR list.
2. Security and encryption IM is insecure. We all know it. So we deal with it. I wouldn’t have ranked this quite so high. Heck, if you need security, don’t use IM!
1. Integration Three cheers for integration!!! We need IM software to work together! And they could, too. Then IM products could compete on the basis of their features, performance and usability!
They put together an interesting list. Did they miss anything? What do you want in your instant messenger?
Fantatic
Edited by – Fanatic on 07/06/2001 5:45:26 PM
August 3, 2001 at 6:16 pm #69557Sandi
MemberSo.. This is what I am looking for. I have Odigo, and MSM, and Yahoo, and ICQ.. And I am STILL not happy!! I love the.. operability of Odigo. I like the look and feel of it. I like the ease of use. I don’t like the s l o w n e s s , and how solar activity, and fluctuations in the GAP stock can interfere with message transmission. I love how I can easily search for a new friend to chat with, and even narrow the paramaters to relate to my interests.. or location.
But, I am looking for… something fresh, new, funky, fun, and still easy to use, that has some interoperability as well.
I hear a lot of names dropped, such as Aim, Jabber, Maxxchat, Buddy, Paltalk, etc, but I don’t have the time to download and test each one. Sooooo.. I am gonna throw this question to the BBB wind.. and see what it blows back at me…August 3, 2001 at 9:02 pm #69556Jeff Hester
KeymasterI’m still looking for the perfect messenger, but haven’t found it yet. I like Odigo, too. It’s a very clever interface (though probably a little too “cute” for most business users) with some nice features not readily found in most other IMs (like finding users by affinity, or seeing other users on the same site). It IS, however, pretty unstable in my experience. Still, I use it daily.
MSN Messenger is not very full featured, but it’s small and unobtrusive and RARELY hangs up (recent network problems aside). I run it almost every day, too.
Yahoo Messenger is cool for it’s video, but other than that, it really doesn’t offer anything unique. The extra tabs for notification, news, etc. are things I seldom use. Still, I run this at least a couple times each week.
AIM is ok, and like MSN it’s pretty basic. The new pop-up window that comes up when I log on is a nuisance. I run this a couple times a week, too, mostly because I have some friends who don’t use anything but AIM.
ICQ is the swiss army knife of the IM world…too complex and cluttered for my day-to-day use (my life is already complicated enough!). I use it once in a while, when I’m really bored. 🙂
As far as the “off-brand” messengers go, my favorite so far is Trillian. It works with AIM, ICQ, MSN and Yahoo, and has a nice interface. There are still a few things it doesn’t do, and of course, it doesn’t support all the extra features of those other IMs. I run this once or twice a week, too. It’s nice when I want to see who’s online across all those IM systems, without running all the other clients. If Odigo had support for MSN, I’d be hardpressed to use Trillain, though, making it a battle for stability.
I’m going to be installing Windows XP, Release Candidate 2 (maybe this weekend) and it has a whole NEW IM program from Microsoft called “Windows Messenger”. It will have support for video (like Yahoo) and other stuff…I’ll report on it as soon as I get it going.
Jeff Hester
BigBlueBall.com ModeratorMarch 14, 2002 at 3:10 pm #69563rustedtight
MemberTrillian is closer to the perfect IM than its been, and out of the distance races IMICI, stable now, neat n tidy on the desktop.
Those two along with Maxxchat seem to have the right idea.
The various jabber apps while they do the job well, and sometimes better than the others just dont yet seem to have ‘that’ feel about em, unscientific I know but when I find the word, …. I’ll use it.
My wish list? trillian or Imici with interoperability with Odigo.
Are there others? sure, check out Vista its a mature app thats lookin great, and then theres…………..rustedtight
March 14, 2002 at 3:55 pm #69555Jeff Hester
KeymasterI agree with you, Rustedtight… Trillian is as good as it gets for now. It’s become my main IM tool.
But you piqued my curiousity. What is Vista and where can I take a peek at it?
Jeff Hester
BigBlueBall.comMarch 14, 2002 at 4:12 pm #69562rustedtight
MemberJune 1, 2002 at 11:54 am #69567urxlnc
MemberOdigo..
…I like the Interface, but not the messenger.
Yahoo!… Always have connection problems behind proxy…
ICQ…too complicated and much confusing…
AIM…I never used it
MSN… Windows Messenger is almost near to MY Ideal Messenger…
Other IMs.[/b]
Altavista Messgenger.
With AltaVista Messenger you can keep in touch with all of your Microsoft Messenger Service (MSNMS) and America Online Instant Messenger (AIM) buddies with a single chat client. AltaVista Messenger imports your AIM buddy list automatically, or you can add new buddies by invitation. This feature-rich chat client adds even more communication options with other AltaVista Messenger users including voice messaging, file and URL transfer and real-time chat with up to 9 buddies. You can even set up a one-on-one voice chat with a buddy over the Web. When you are away, AltaVista Messenger can direct chat requests to your personal answering machine and inform your buddy that you are away. More options include Text-to-Speech capabilities and a wealth of other customizable features.AltaVista Messenger have also reported connection problems, has been around 2 Years but didn’t got popularity… AltaVista is more concerned about its own Advertising than Messenger.
Vista
Description
Vista is your view into the two-way web. Vista 1.3 supports Cross-conferencing chat across AOL, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo, IRC, and Jabber services. You can play games with your buddies and get latest news from many news sources like NY Times, BBC, Wired etc. You can add and remove such channels and also create your own channels and receive notifications from these channels. You can also check for new mails if you have a POP mail account. Vista does not contain any Spyware modules and is Ad-Free. You can also post to a Blogger site and send SMS messages.New IM need some time for testing, but problems getting connected.
Windows Messenger (NOT MSN MESSENGER)
Good Interface, Webcam/Voice Support, File Transfer, Application sharing, Whiteboard support… New lets see in near future…Have reported connection problems too ( I am one of the victims
)
Trillian
Good support but once you Install you can never get rid of it, until you get rid of Windows. I dont have more comments on this as I didn’t use it much…I’m still waiting for Ideal Messenger… good name isn’t?
ur xlnc
June 1, 2002 at 5:29 pm #69561rustedtight
MemberQuote:quote: problems getting connectedLocation and infrastructure, both local and national play an enormous role in the associated connection problems.
I have not experienced any of the connection problems noted above, consider this while reading the above review.
Location? I’m in a major city within Australia, my ISP service is without blemish, my regional friends do, from time to time suffer service outages.
Theres many things to be considered in the evaluation of a chat client.rustedtight
June 1, 2002 at 5:55 pm #69566urxlnc
Memberawwwwwww come on…
I don’t sound irrespossible, do I? I never had problems without proxy for Yahoo! but I always have when I am behind proxy on the same location with the same ISP and with the same computer.
About MSN, I never had problems with MSN Messenger but I have with Windows Messenger… (both behind proxy)
ur xlnc
June 1, 2002 at 6:04 pm #69564rhiannon
MemberJune 1, 2002 at 9:11 pm #69560rustedtight
Memberand Altavista and Vista?,
their problems were ……… proxy related or………??
It helps the members to know just what the problem is, of course a link to the download site would be of great help.
It’s a forum here not a one on one blast session, provide more details please.
Thank you for your contribution.rustedtight
Edited by – rustedtight on 06/01/2002 16:14:24
June 2, 2002 at 9:33 am #69565urxlnc
MemberAltavista Messenger is from http://www.altavista.com, I guess altavista have stopped the service now, I will check and will let you know later… and Vista Messenger is what you were talking rusty… from http://www.i3connect.com.
NOTE: What I have said is my personal opinion, I am not forcing you to believe or accpet it, I have reflected it clearly that this is my personal opinion, and the Description was provided by the manufacturer and I don’t make claims on it. I have clearly posted the messengers I have problems behind firewall 🙂 don’t you think I have?
Rusty as you said Theres many things to be considered in the evaluation of a chat client I agree… and I do have a bit support to my opinions…
Maybe I would like to add “Always Connected” to that list of a perfect IM. I feel it weird to get disconected while have a serious Messaging or when my messages return back undelivered
. Imagine when you say some sweet words to your beloved and they return back…UNDELIVERED.
Quote:quote: It’s a forum here not a one on one blast sessionI feel this is just one of ways the members welcome new members…
ur xlnc
June 2, 2002 at 2:50 pm #69559rustedtight
MemberQuote:quote: Maybe I would like to add “Always Connected” to that list of a perfect IM. I feel it weird to get disconected while have a serious Messaging or when my messages return back undelivered . Imagine when you say some sweet words to your beloved and they return back…UNDELIVERED.Agreed, the best messenger in the world is worthless if it cant maintain a connection. Yet this problem is often caused by things outside the control n responsibility of the chat application, for example peak traffic times, line quality, choked local service. Tho I agree there are apps that consistantly have this problem.
rustedtight
May 15, 2003 at 4:33 am #69569darkjedi
MemberHmmm been hearing more and more about odigo since i first came on here think im going to have to download it. I wish MSN would have more stuff built into it rather then having to go download it all the time from there site. Yahoo is pretty good dont really have any complaints about it other then what is being said on here. ICQ hmmm no complaints about it either. AIM well its made by AOHell so dont really like it that much and doenst have that much to it for options or anything.
May 19, 2003 at 3:02 pm #69571Cuchuflo
MemberThe perfect IM is having control of your own IM network…
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