Instant Messenger Clients

If you have been using the Internet for any amount of time you have probably used an instant messenger at some time or another. They allow you to talk to your friends, family and co-workers with the click of a button. There are many great clients out there, as well as many different networks.

(Windows) ICQ - http://www.icq.com/

One of the oldest networks is ICQ, with millions of users world wide. Their software has come along way, with many hurdles being overcome. One of the biggest advancements in my opinion is the addition of a roaming profile, letting you travel from computer to computer keeping your user list intact. If this had been supported from the start I would have probably not started using additional IM clients.

One of the major failing points I've found with ICQ is the fact that their software is often full of 'extra' stuff that I don't want. They have quite a bit of advertising and unfortunately it became a playground for spammers, often for adult websites which for children using the software is a major problem. More recent versions of ICQ have Spam blockers built in, but the occasional piece still manages to make it through.

(Windows) MSN Messenger - http://messenger.msn.com/

The MSN Messenger client is very easy to use, as is the case with most Microsoft software. Roaming profiles was a huge selling point with me when it was first introduced, and the use of smiley emotion icons. It has many features built in for transferring files and having live conversations using your speakers and microphone. The remote desktop features and sharing your pictures gives it a nice personal feel. This program is very easy to use and those who are very new to computers or the Internet will probably feel at ease using this software. With almost no learning curve the average person can be on and chatting with their friends and family within minutes. The one problem I have with MSN Messenger is the inability to send a message to an off-line friend and have them receive it when they come back on-line.

(Linux) GAIM - http://gaim.sourceforge.net/

This is probably my favourite Linux client! Not only does it work with all the major chat networks such as ICQ, MSN, Yahoo, you can also go on IRC with it! There are many additional features for this program including auto-reconnecting and security features. Some such security features are hiding your operating system and a very easy to use block list. This software currently is include in such Linux distributions as Red Hat Fedora, and Mandrake.

(Linux) Kopete - http://kopete.kde.org/

Another really great Linux based messenger client! It includes the same network support as GAIM, but takes user friendliness to a whole new level. It's really nice looking with sharp graphics and lots of interesting plug-ins. Some of the older versions were not quite as good but it's really coming in to it's own with newer versions! This application has been bundled with the SuSE Linux distribution, however it is compatible with all versions of Linux. If you are interested in a really fancy looking messenger you should definitely consider trying this one out. The only down side is if you aren't using SuSE you may have to build the source yourself.

Instant Messengers are a great tool for keeping in touch with co-workers, children away at school, and friends abroad. If you have the time and want to save some money on phone bills, check out these applications and have some fun!

Ken Dennis http://KenDennis-RSS.homeip.net/

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Google Brings the Earth to Your Desktop

Google Inc. has launched a new software package that allows... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains Remote Support - Overview

Microsoft Great Plains is now standard mid-market ERP application, serving... Read More

Linux Secrets

The first thing that you will notice about Linux Red... Read More

Microsoft Axapta, Navision or Great Plains: ERP Selection for Large Corporation

If you would like to pick something from Microsoft, or... Read More

Intro to UNIX Shells

A UNIX Shell is in simplest terms, a command line... Read More

Microsoft CRM Customization - Processing In/Out-Going Email Messages

We would like to give you several situations, when you... Read More

Lotus Domino: Reports and Connectors ? Crystal Reports, XML, ODBC/JDBC, OLE

Lotus Notes Domino is very efficient in electronic document workflow... Read More

Mozilla Vs. Firefox

For those who are unclear on the differences between the... Read More

Microsoft CRM Customization

Microsoft CRM customization techniques are very diversified and based on... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains Customization Tools Evolution ? Overview for Consultant

When Great Plains Software introduced the first graphical accounting application... Read More

3 Reasons Why Medical Billing Software is Leading the Way

Since technology changes so quickly, it is hard to begin... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains Inventory Control ? Overview For Consultant

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains is marketed for mid-size companies... Read More

Four Desktop Tools To Drastically Increase Your Productivity

Sticky Noteshttp://www.deprice.com/stickynote.htmWith StickyNote 9.0, you can create beautiful 3D notes... Read More

Seven Reasons Why a Hosted Inventory Management Solution Might Be Right For Your Organization

Upgrading. Downtime. Maintenance. Hardware obsolescence. Implementation issues. The litany of... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains IV: Inventory Management

Great Plains Inventory Management (IV) module gives your business a... Read More

SQL scripts for Project Accounting: Microsoft Great Plains series ? overview for developer

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains has Project Accounting module where... Read More

Keep Your Software Simple! A Review of EditPlus

I like my software simple. If it's too complex or... Read More

Microsoft CRM Integration with Microsoft Retail Management System (RMS) ? Overview

Microsoft Client Relation Management system (Microsoft CRM) and Microsoft RMS... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains Integrations ? Retail Management Sample

Microsoft Business Solutions is emerging as very attractive vendor for... Read More

Where to Find Free Fleet Maintenance Software

Costs of fleet maintenance software can vary widely. It is... Read More

Twelve Things You Should Know to Save on Computer Software

Do you want to get quality software at a reasonable... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains Furniture & Fixtures ? Implementation & Customization Highlights

Microsoft Great Plains, former Great Plains Software Dynamics / eEnterprise... Read More

Guide to Software Marketing

Intro This concise article will tell you in plain English... Read More

MSN Messenger Is A Sweet Way To Communicate

MSN messenger is a pretty cool invention. I mean I'm... Read More

Microsoft Blues

With the advent of 'Service Pack 2' for Windows XP... Read More

Great Plains Dexterity ? Microsoft Great Plains Customization Overview

Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains, former Great Plains Software Dynamics... Read More

How to Tell You Have Spyware, Ad-ware or Viruses

Usually, the easiest way to tell you have spyware is... Read More

Microsoft Update - 5 Reasons to Update Service Pack 2

Microsoft released Service Pack 2 (SP2) for the Windows XP... Read More

Groupware as a Document Manager: Collaboration Series #3

This article is the third of a series of articles... Read More

Microsoft Great Plains eCommerce ? Stored Procedures Approach

Since Version 8.0 Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains & Great... Read More

How to Build a Basic CSS Layout

Designing without tables by using CSS layouts is fast becoming... Read More

Defining OLAP Solutions and Data Warehouse design

This tutorial covers OLAP solutions used by Data warehouses and... Read More

Assertion in Java

Assertion facility is added in J2SE 1.4. In order to... Read More