For Windows: Trillian (download)
For Mac OS X: AdiumX (download)
For Linux: Gaim (download)
Gaim is also available for Windows. I’ve never tried it, but I assume that it is much the same as the Linux version.
Any suggestions?
May 25, 2005
Preferred Chat Clients
Trillian’s excellent. Better than running 3 or 4 different clients at the same time. However, I keep Yahoo separate as, well, I just like it. I’m using it to experiment with VOIP and webcam chats with the folks back in Blighty.
Timbo, all the clients above are multi-protocol, running (at the minimum) AIM, Yahoo, MSN, ICQ and IRC.
As soon as I progressed beyond having just one MSN account, I started using multi-protocol clients. Having a different client for each account would be like having a separate email program for each of your POP3 accounts. Plus, you get stacks of adverts with the original clients, and third-party replacements are much more slender.
I used the MSN client mainly because most of my friends use MSN, and in the end it just proved easier. I still keep trillian to use AIM and Y! and secondary MSN log ins but hardly use it. It just became to much mission as feature sync between trillian and MSN keep shifting.
Ah, the elusive feature sync. I personally view IM in much the same way as most over-50s view mobile phones. As long as it performs the most basic actions required of it, it works.
I’m not interested in video chat. As far as I’m concerned, the whole point of IM is that it’s not really that instant. You can leave your desk for a minute, come back to it, and pick up the conversation as if nothing had happened, and no-one is any the wiser. It’s like a form of accelerated email without all those “>”s and “Bill Gates wrote:”s
Yeah, I’m not so bothered by video chat either. My webcam is always connected to my site anyway. Although it is fun occasion.
But I do like setting photos, and being able to trasnfer files flawless (which I do a lot in work) and some of the features I can get with MSNPlus.
It also just became a hassle using Trillian. And a hassle is where I ditch something.
Just getting back to Trillian actually, quite enjoying the new version as well. So far.
Still a bit quirky with the whole multi user, multi login thing ..
I use Fire for Mac. It combines pretty much everything and it doesn’t explode or burn me.
I am, how you say, happy with it.