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Which Instant messenger software do you use?

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brotherS:
I use Verizon Wireless.  It's a voice based message system.  Instead of typing you actually talk to the other person.  It's kind of weird, but I think it'll catch on.
-Rover (March 21, 2006, 04:09 PM)
--- End quote ---
I don't think so... I'd find it annoying to always listen to voice messages. I prefer unobtrusive text messages, presented by Miranda :)

nontroppo:
What a sad mess the IM world is. Many users are locked in (in the sense that cross-network requires multiple logins / hacks)both because of their vendors, as well as their platform...

I have to cross-platform chat (mostly to Mac users), and I'd like the option of voice (I can only dream of video)as well as IM. That decimates the options out there. Most of them have reasonable windows versions, but poor hacked Mac ones. I also really dislike all the proprietary protocols.

For that reason Jabber is the bright hope for IM ( http://www.imfederation.com/ ), none of the ugly proprietariness of MS/Yahoo/AOL. Anyone on a federated server can talk to each other. Both iChat and GoogleTalk are Jabber clients. GMail allows jabber chatting through a web browser which is neat.

One cross-platform free IM that has a very rich feature set (whiteboards, file transfer, voice, IM and lots more)and is wonderfully programmed (and actively developed) on all supported platforms is Bitwise:

http://www.bitwiseim.com/

They use a proprietary network sadly, though they are at least clear that it is to do with security and privacy, rather than the market-domination strategies of the others. The forums seem friendly and helpful.

Though the hope for propietary free IM / voice (unless Google pulls its finger out and releases a cross-platform client) rests with the Jabber based Gizmo:

http://www.gizmoproject.com/learn-more.html

I haven't tried it but it does voice / IM.

Of course, Skype does IM as well as voice (and file transfer)

http://www.skype.com/

For IRC, I use Opera's built-in client - It uses Opera's rendering engine so I can style my IRC window using CSS. It does all I need.

m_s:
Thanks for those links, nontroppo. 

I have mainly used Miranda and Yahoo chat, but also Windows Messenger, Skype, and Google Talk.  I was really optimistic about Google Talk's chances, but not enough of my friends were able to use it. 

For the last year or so I have stuck with Trillian, simply because I find it easy to setup and operate - flirted a bit with buying the pro version, but decided against it. 

I've been thinking more recently of just using www.meebo.com, since that would allow me to run one fewer program.  Actually, that said, I very rarely fire up my messenger program - or Skype, or Gizmo - since they're just a drag on my system while my friends slowly catch up on using this kind of technology to stay in touch.

nontroppo:
Update: gizmo can interoperate with GoogleTalk, and will soon allow voice too - allowing open client-agnostic IM+voice chat cross-platform. http://www.gizmoproject.com/google-talk.html

M_S - what is meebo exactly - I didn't want to try it as I was worried it was a 3rd party getting access to my passwords via a web page!

m_s:
You're right - it might be a scam!  But it looks quite sound to me.  I always am exceptionally edgy about entering my details on any of these aggregating sites - like Protopage or Pageflakes - but I have given in a few times, after investigating the site a bit, and just tried them, and that doesn't seem (yet) to have had any negative consequences...

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